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Number  105  •  July/August  1984  •  US  &  Canada  $2  •  UK  £1  •  Australia  $1.75 


AIDS:  WHAT'S  BEHIND  THE  LATEST  DISCOVERY?  P  23 


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2  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


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'  The  liberation  of  homosexuals 

can  only  be  the  work  of 

homosexuals  themselves." 

-  Kurt  Hitter,  1921  - 

The  Collective 

John  Allec,  Paul  Baker,  Edna  Barker,  Christine  Bearchell. 

Rick  Beboul  Paul  Hackney,  Gerald  Hannon,  Ed  Jackson, 

Tim  McCaskell,  Ken  Popert,  Gillian  Rodgerson,  Phil  Shaw, 

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Design  /Art  Direction 

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The  News 

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Gillian  Rodgerson,  Jane  Smith,  Richard  Summerbell, 

Lee  Waldorf,  Glenn  Wheeler,  Ken  Chaplin 

(Toronto  News  Staff) 

Richard  Banner,  Fred  Gilbertson,  Jackie  Goodwin, 

Kevin  Griffin,  Rob  Joyce,  Don  Larventz,  Jim  Oakes, 

Stan  Persky,  Michael  Wellwood 

(Vancouver  News  Staff) 

Maurice  Beaulieu  (Quebec),  Wayne  Bell  (Kitchener), 

Gale  Comin  (Calgary),  Nils  Clausson  (Edmonton). 

Bernard  Courte  (Montreal),  Jeffrey  McLaughlin  (Victoria), 

Robin  Metcalfe  (Halifax),  Jim  Monk  (Windsor).  Pay  Orr 

(Calgary),  Joe  Szalai  (Kitchener) 

The  World 

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Reviews  and  Features 

John  Allec  (coordinator).  Rick  Archbold.  Paul  Baker. 

Rick  Bibout.  Gerald  Hannon.  Stephen  MacDonald. 

Alan  McGinty.  Sonja  Mills.  Phil  Shaw.  Colin  Smith, 

Richard  Summerbell,  Anne  Stokes 

Out  in  the  City 

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Richard  Summerbell,  Ian  Thorn,  Glendon  McKinney 

Columns 

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Letters/Network 

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Layout  and  Production 

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Paul  Hackney,  Barbara  Klemme,  Chris  Lea,  Sonja  Mills, 
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Luc  Svoboda,  Neil  Kitagawa,  Cirasella  and  members  and 
friends  of  the  collective. 
Printing:  Delta  Web  Graphics,  Scarborough 

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Giiies  St-Hilaire,  Robert  Wilson 

Promotion 

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Subscriptions  and  Distribution 

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Office 

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Paul  Hackney,  Jean-Denis  Lacroix,  Dale  Landry. 

Mike  Marshall.  Tim  McCaskell.  Phillip  Solanki.  Anne  Stokes. 

Lee  Waldorf.  Ken  West 

The  Body  Politic  is  published  ten  times  a  year  by  Pink  Triangle 
Press,  a  non-profit  corporation,  as  a  contribution  to  the  building  of 
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sibility lor  the  content  ot  The  Body  Politic  rests  with  the  Body  Poli- 
tic Collective,  an  autonomous  body  operating  within  Pink  Triangle 
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time  and  labour  to  the  production  otlhis  magazine  The  opinions  ol 
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editorial  essays.  Offices  ol  The  Body  Politic  are  located  at  54 
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The  publication  olan  advertisement  in  The  Body  Politic  does  not 
mean  that  the  collective  endorses  the  advertiser 

Mailing  address   The  Body  Politic.  Box  7289.  Sin  A 

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THURSDAY,  AUGUST 2 

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PRINTED  AND  PUBLISHED  IN  CANADA 


THIS  ISSUE 

NUMBER  105  •  JULY  1984 


31:  Coming 
out  in  the 
comics 

See  inside  Batman  and  Robin's 
bedroom!  Watch  the  incredible 
Amazon  girl-roping  contest!  Hear 
Captain  America  decry  homophobia! 
Writer  Brad  Fraser  traces  the  history  of  homosexuality  in  comic  books  from  the 
innocent  Forties  through  the  paranoid  Fifties  to  the  increasingly  adventurous 
present  —  and  finds  everything  from  S/M  vampires  to  the  first  gay 
(well,  maybe)  superhero. 

7:  Bust  at  Bud's 

A  grand  Montreal  tradition  continues  as  75  policemen  armed  with  cameras  raid  the  popular  bar  Bud's 
and  arrest  188  people.  Those  tired  old  bawdyhouse  laws  again.  The  response?  Another  tradition  — 
thousands  take  to  the  streets  in  protest. 

23:  AIDS:  what's  behind  the  headlines? 

A  lot  of  hopes  have  been  raised  by  the  recent  announcement  of  the  discovery  of  the  virus  HTLV-III  as  the 
'  'cause"  of  AIDS .  But  have  US  researchers  simply  uncovered  the  same  bug  that  the  French  did  a  year  ago? 
And  is  a  vaccine  or  an  "AIDS  test"  really  on  the  way?  Cindy  Patton  investigates. 

37:  Alter,  yes,  but  eros? 

The  Toronto  feminist  festival  was  supposed  to  be  a  celebration  of  art  about  sexuality,  but  Chris  Bearchell 
wonders  whether  it  wasn't  a  search  for  an  alternative  to  eros  —  and  writers  Sonja  Mills  and  Jane  Smith  found 
the  shows  didn't  get  them  very  excited,  either.  Three  views  of  works  that  certainly  weren't  pornography,  and 
so  must  have  been  erotica  —  whatever  that  might  be. 

35:  Dancing  by  yourself 

When  it's  raining  men,  Brian  Mossop  goes  out  onto  the  dance  floor  by  himself  to  get  wet  —  but  he's  not 
dancing  alone.  He's  in  the  warm  embrace  of  fraternal  gay  public  life.  A  plea  for  the  development  of  our  lives 
outside  the  arena  of  domesticity  and  coupledom  —  or  why,  so  Brian  says,  you  can  be  a  homosexual 
at  home,  but  you  can't  be  gay  there. 

51:  Edna  and  the  men  from  Mars 

When  does  a  young  woman  who  has  a  crush  on  her  female  lunch  buddies,  who  sounds  like  a  teenaged  boy 
and  who  believes  men  are  strictly  from  Mars  discover  that  she's  not  a  faggot?  Easy  —  when  she  figures  out 
she's  a  dyke.  But  first,  she  has  to  start  with  a  picture  of  a  zucchini.... 


Regular  departments 

4:  Letters  to  The  Body  Politic 
12:  Chris  Bearchell's  "Combat  Zone" 
15:  Glenn  Wheeler's  "Copwatch" 
16:  Network,  our  regular  listing  of  gay  and  lesbian 

groups  across  Canada 
21:  World  News 
24:  Your  summer  guide  to  Toronto  —  Out  in 

the  City,  with  a  new  map  in  this  issue 
41:  Joy  Parks's  "Shared  Ground" 
42:  Classified  ads 


See  you  in  September 

This  is  our  last  issue  before  we  take  a  short  break  for  the 
summer  —  a  break  which  is  likely  our  last.  Beginning 
with  the  September  issue,  we're  planning  to  put  The 
Body  Politic  on  a  real  monthly  schedule  of  twelve  issues 
a  year,  rather  than  our  current  ten.  So,  we  hardly  need 
tell  you  how  much  we're  looking  forward  to  this  last 
breather.  Have  a  good  summer  —  we  sure  intend  to! 

The  cover:  Illustration  from  Batman 
from  the 30s  to  the  70s,  Bonanza  Books,  New  York.  Design  by 
the  same  old  tired  designer.... 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  Q  JULY  /AUGUST  1984  □    3 


Some. 

Or  28  or  46  Somebuddies 

who  keep  the  air  buzzing 

with  conversation  thaf  s  casual, 

maybe  a  little  crazy 

and  always  fun. 

In  the  lane  behind  Crispins,  Toronto  (416)  977-9955 


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LETTERS 


Caught  in  the  ideological  trap 


Unfortunately,  James  Johnstone  (Let- 
ters, TBP,  May)  falls  into  a  very  common 
trap  in  his  comments  on  monogamy  and 
promiscuity.  Why  this  antinomy?  It  is 
indeed  a  "commonplace"  in  heterosex- 
ual partiarchal  ideology  that  there  is 
some  kind  of  opposition  between  "fidel- 
ity" and  "promiscuity,"  between  a 
patriarchal  monogamy  and  unsocializa- 
ble  non-reproductive  desire.  The  latter  is 
often  represented  as  irresponsible,  and 
thus  we  are  caught  in  the  ideological 
trap,  since  we  are  presented  with  only 
one  other  alternative.  Johnstone  implies 
that  so-called  promiscuity  is  in  conflict 
with  patriarchal  heterosexist  power  rela- 
tions. He  posits  monogamy  amongst  gay 
couples  without  recognizing  the  differ- 
ent forms  of  non-monogamous  emo- 
tional and  sexual  relationships  some  of 
us  are  attempting  in  order  to  best  suit  a 
lifestyle  in  opposition  to  partriarchal 
ideology.  As  well,  he  fails  to  recognize 
the  complex  and  difficult  political  analy- 
sis involved  in  areas  of  experience  that 
patriarchal  heterosexism  has  termed 
"personal." 

Gay  people  live  in  a  world  of  hetero- 
sexist ideology,  and  it  is  a  constant  battle 
for  us  to  distance  ourselves  from  its  en- 
culturation  —  misogyny,  monogamy,  fi- 
delity, "masculine  behaviour,"  etc. 
There  is  in  fact  far  too  much  support  for 
Johnstone's  choice,  although  if  he  were 
to  examine  the  historical  record  he 
would  realize  how  transient  monogamy 
in  any  relationship  may  be.  Even  hetero- 
sexuals tend  to  pay  lip  service  only  to  the 
serial  variety. 

I,  too,  have  a  lover,  David,  with 
whom  I  have  lived  for  more  than  ten 
years.  Although  I  initially  brought  with 
me  from  my  previous  heterosexist  mon- 
ogamous relationship  all  the  cultural 
baggage  that  Johnstone  wants  to  retain, 
over  the  years  David  and  I  have  explored 
our  relationship  beyond  stereotypical 
masculine  behaviour,  the  inner /outer 
conflicts  of  monogamy  and  the  thwart- 
ing of  desire.  The  relationships  of  con- 
flict, non-consideration  and  insensitivity 
which  are  commonly  part  of  the  ideolo- 
gy of  monogamy  are  in  fact  no  more 
than  representations  of  a  particular  kind 
of  "masculine  behaviour"  which  our 
society  fosters  and  encourages.  I  am  not 
arguing  that  all  gay  men  are  loving,  ten- 
der, sensitive  beings,  but  rather  that  the 
specificity  of  homosexuality  is  dissolved 
by  Johnstone  into  a  "masculinity" 
which  ignores  the  heterosexist  power 
relations  endemic  to  monogamy.  In  this 
way  his  gayness  is  represented  first  as 
male  and  only  secondly  as  gay.  In  this 
way  the  very  real  homosexual  oppression 
by  heterosexual  institutions  is  denied. 

David  and  I  have  a  close,  warm,  lov- 
ing relationship  with  one  another  which 
we  hope  will  continue  for  decades.  At 
the  same  time,  we  have  created  a  situa- 
tion which  no  longer  excludes  sexual  re- 
lationships with  other  men,  inside  or 
outside  our  home.  Our  continued  strug- 
gle, learning,  and  unlearning,  now  cen- 
tres around  the  creation  of  a  similar 
milieu  for  concomitant  love  relation- 
ships with  other  men.  In  other  words,  we 
have  not  yet  cast  off  all  our  encultura- 
tion  and  oppression,  nor  have  we  found 
perfect  political  expression  for  them,  but 
we're  seeking  an  alternative  to  John- 


stone's ideological  antinomy  and  we're 
getting  there! 

The  interrogation  of  the  ideological 
representations  of  both  homosexuality 
and  heterosexuality  are  vital,  so  that  we 
can  avoid  the  misrecognition  both  of  our 
sexuality  and  of  our  social  positioning 
brought  about  by  the  heterosexual  pow- 
er relationships  that  Johnstone  has  obvi- 
ously succumbed  to. 

Michael  Eliot  Hurst 
Vancouver 


Butch  creativity 


BULLSHIT  to  Charles  Fisch's  letter 
(TBP,  May)  on  the  ideal  relaxed  gay 
man.  Why  do  some  gay  people  feel  threat- 
ened by  masculinity  or  macho  attitudes? 
I  did  not  decide  to  walk  the  road  of 
homosexuality,  which  sometimes  seems 
an  uphill  trek,  to  choose  a  man  wearing 
a  skirt.  Or  makeup.  Or  limp  wrists.  Or 
mellow,  mellow,  mellow.  I  turned  on  to 
masculinity,  and  if  others  think  it's 
sometimes  a  posed  act,  then  maybe  that 
is  their  hang-up.  Liberalism  and  accep- 
tance is  required  by  all,  as  much  by 
feminine  men  as  by  masculine  men. 
Feminine  men  will  have  to  start  playing 
ball  by  not  grouping  macho  or  butch  men 
as  not  accepting  their  homosexuality. 

Homosexuality  is  a  freedom.  That 
freedom  can  only  be  reached  by  letting 
everyone  be. 

Gay  men  as  a  group  like  masculinity 
—  face  that  fact,  Charles.  Now,  if  some- 
one is  trying  to  express  himself  in  a  man- 
ner that's  coming  across  posed  —  I  guess 
personally  I'm  still  interested  if  it's 
masculine.  Not  everyone  can  express  his 
inner  being  to  the  world  with  style.  What 
matters  is  that  the  guy's  got  the  balls  to 
try.  Let's  give  him  a  break  by  not  calling 
him  stiff  or  dull  or  posed.  How  about 
creative  —  in  at  least  trying  to  transfer 
his  sexual  fantasy  into  sexual  expression, 
however  clumsy  the  result?  Not  every- 
one wants  to  smile  in  a  bar  environment. 

Rather  than  be  frustrated  by  the 
whole  scene,  Charles,  enjoy  it!  Other 
enlightened  individuals  are  certainly 
going  to  relate  to  your  train  of  thought. 
And  probably  that's  why  this  is  going  to 
be  a  wild,  hot  summer  in  the  city  for 
every  one\ 
Keith  Sodergren 
Toronto 


Hold  the  sermon 


I  really  wish  that  people  like  Rhonda 
Naeseth  (TBP  Letters,  March)  would 
spare  us  her  opinion  of  men  ("scum- 
bags") and  spare  prostitutes  her  patron- 
izing, so-called  defence.  As  a  gay  prosti- 
tute, I  don't  need  anyone  passing  judg- 
ment on  my  lifestyle. 

While  I'm  glad  that  Ms  Naeseth 
agrees  with  TBP's  reporter  that  sex-for- 
pay  should  be  decriminalized,  her  saying 
that  "it's  a  pretty  crummy  way  to  make 
a  buck,"  and  her  promoting  sexist  stereo- 
types about  hookers,  incest  and  drugs 
aren't  helpful.  Not  everyone  finds  giving 
gay  sexual  enjoyment  for  one  hour  per 
night  in  return  for  economic  freedom 
from  the  family  to  be  exploitative.  While 
my  work  can  be  difficult,  I  can't  say  I'd 
rather  be  working  for  a  bank. 

Ms  Naeseth  doesn't  see  hookers  as 


4  C  THE  BODY  POLITIC  U  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


rebels?  Has  she  ever  heard  of  Stonewall! 
I'm  sorry  she  has  bought  the  sexist  view 
of  us  as  passive  victims.  I  suggest  she 
find  out  what  women  prostitutes  are  up 
to  in  the  political  arena.  It  might  shatter 
a  few  notions  she  has  that  sound  more 
"white,  middle-class  male"  than  femin- 
ist to  me. 

Please,  if  you  want  to  help  prostitutes, 
by  all  means  fight  the  laws,  the  police, 
the  poverty  —  but  hold  the  sermon.  We 
get  that  from  the  Moral  Majority. 
Robert  D'Avanzo 

Toronto 

• 

Is  TBP  living  in  the  real  world?  Is  Chris 
Bearchell? 

In  Bearchell's  article  on  pornography 
in  the  March  issue,  she  writes:  "...  the 
prostitute  negotiates...  contracts,  all 
more  or  less  on  her  own  terms." 

On  her  own  terms?  Have  you  never 
heard  of  pimps? 
David  E  Pinto 
Montreal 

Cocktails  and  criticism 

As  the  individual  primarily  responsible 
for  TBP's  "sitting  ovation"  for  the 
latest  win  in  the  Rob  Joyce  civil  rights 
case,  I  hope  it's  within  my  jurisdiction  to 
respond  to  Stan  Persky's  criticism  of 
this  reportage  (see  TBP,  June,  p  15). 

To  begin  with,  part  of  Persky's  analy- 
sis was  based  on  what  seemed  to  be  a 
factual  error,  and  it  was  one  that  I  found 
very  disturbing.  He  stated  that  my  article 
commented  on  Joyce's  "personality." 
This  term  was  even  placed  in  quotation 
marks,  so  that  it  appeared  that  I  had 
used  it.  In  fact,  my  article  did  not  at  any 
point  refer  to  Joyce's  personality.  The 
closest  I  came  was  a  reference  to  Rob's 
"political  style"  in  the  years  prior  to 
1980. 1  admit  that  (as  one  TBP  staffer 
put  it  to  me)  "political  style  is  informed 
by  one's  personality,"  but  surely  other 
considerations  enter  into  it:  the  political 
exigencies  one  is  facing;  the  character  of 
one's  analyses  and  strategies;  the  limita- 
tions of  perspective  that  exist  in  any 
given  historical  period;  and  the  nature  of 
an  individual's  actual  position  in  politi- 
cal affairs.  Given  this,  I  don't  see  that  a 
comment  which  seems  to  be  critical  of 
someone's  political  style  can  be  taken  as 
synonymous  with  disparagement  of  that 
person's  personality. 

Still,  since  I've  been  tacitly  accused  of 
commenting  on  Joyce's  personality  in  an 
unflattering  way,  I  feel  that  I  ought  to 
set  the  record  straight  on  this  subject.  To 
the  best  of  my  knowledge,  Rob  Joyce  is 
meticulously  honest,  fair-minded,  gen- 
uinely committed  to  gay  liberation  and 
likeable  in  person;  apart  from  this,  he  is 
one  of  the  few  Canadian  gay  activists 
who  possesses  an  element  of  tactical 
genius.  Once,  during  the  course  of  re- 
searching one  of  the  many  stories  I've 
done  for  TBP  supporting  his  case,  I  had 
the  unusual  experience  of  hearing  his 
personal  merits  extolled  by  a  former  BC 
Social  Credit  cabinet  minister,  radio 
host  Rafe  Mair.  Since,  at  the  time,  Joyce 
was  still  under  the  shadow  of  the  accusa- 
tion that  he'd  had  sex  with  a  juvenile,  I 
took  this  endorsement  and  others  like  it 
to  be  of  the  highest  significance. 

My  own  reference  to  Joyce's  pre-1980 
political  style  as  "uncompromising  (and) 
blunt"  was  not  an  attempt  to  cast  my  lot 
with  those  individuals  on  Persky's 
"cocktail  circuit"  who  called  Joyce 
"abrasive"  or  even  a  "sociopath."  For 
one  thing,  I  wasn't  under  the  influence 
of  cocktails  when  I  wrote  the  offending 
article;  for  another,  the  article  presum- 
ably took  some  of  these  same  people  to 
task  for  participating  in  the  "skepticism 
and  rumour-mongering"  which  Joyce 


was  forced  to  endure  at  some  points  in 
his  defence  campaign.  Nor  were  my 
comments  made  in  the  context  of  a 
search  for  journalistic  "colour,"  as 
Persky  hypothesized.  They  were  part  of 
an  (incomplete)  attempt  to  describe  the 
factors  within  the  gay  community  that 
made  Joyce's  current  win  more  difficult 
than  it  needed  to  have  been. 

Persky's  article,  although  it  was  very 
thoughtful  and  useful  in  general,  con- 
tained one  implication  that  really 
bothered  me.  It's  dangerous,  it  seems  to 
me,  to  be  too  quick  to  reach  the  conclu- 
sion that  any  criticisms  directed  toward  a 
given  gay  public  figure  are  motivated  by 
the  impulse  to  deviate  from  the  path  of 
gay  liberation.  No  doubt  there  are 
strong  elements  of  truth  to  such  accusa- 
tions as  far  as  the  Joyce  case  is  con- 
cerned, but  all  the  same,  neither  Joyce 
nor  any  other  gay  leader  personifies  gay 
truth.  Whatever  critical  fire  such  a  per- 
son may  draw  isn't  necessarily  aimed  at 
the  vital  organs  of  the  gay  movement 
itself.  Joyce  happens  to  be  an  honour- 
able person,  but  all  social  movements 
eventually  attract  the  sort  of  individuals 
who  will  wrap  the  flag  around  them- 
selves and  accuse  their  critics  of  attack- 
ing the  flag.  It's  important,  therefore, 
that  the  criticism  made  by  gay  activists 
of  fellow  activists  be  given  fair  consider- 
ation, even  if  they  are  finally  determined 
to  be  the  product  of  tactical  folly  (like 
' ' lobbyism' ')  or  even  of  pure  personal 
malice. 

In  this  particular  case,  I  think  some  of 
the  acrimony  Persky  encountered  might 
be  attributable  to  a  dispute  that  took 
place  in  Vancouver  (and  elsewhere  in 
North  America)  in  the  mid-  to  late-1970s. 
This  was  debate  between  the  first  gen- 
eration of  post-Stonewall  gay  activists 
(those  who  built  the  "gay  movement") 
and  the  second  (roughly,  those  who  built 
the  "activist  gay  community")  over 
whether  the  activities  of  the  latter  group 
represented  a  new  branch  of  gay  libera- 
tion or  a  retreat  into  ghetto-building  and 
accommodationism.  If  my  theory  on 
this  subject  is  correct,  and  the  residual 
bitterness  of  this  often  subliminal  strug- 
gle still  lingers  on  in  left-wing  gay  circles 
in  Vancouver,  then  it  is  a  little  ironic  to 
find  Persky  unwittingly  reiterating  one 
of  the  very  charges  that  characterized 
that  period  of  the  city's  gay  history. 

In  any  event,  Persky  and  I  certainly 
agree  on  the  major  point  of  his  article: 
that  Rob  Joyce's  case  is  a  very  important 
one.  If  Persky  feels  that  anyone  in  the 
gay  press  has  given  the  case  short  shrift, 
then  he's  right  to  say  so.  His  summary  of 
the  gains  made  to  date  by  Joyce  and  his 
supporters  was  an  excellent  one;  quite 
possibly,  it  was  far  more  pertinent  than 
my  own  attempt  to  grapple  with  the 
sticky  internal  politics  of  the  Vancouver 
gay  community. 

In  the  long  run,  what's  vital  in  all  this 
is  the  hope  that  even  though  gay  leaders, 
gay  institutions  and  gay  media  may  re- 
ceive occasional  criticism,  Canadian  gay 
men  and  lesbians  will  have  the  intelli- 
gence to  continue  their  support  of  those 
who  deserve  to  be  supported.  I  took  the 
risk  of  acknowledging  intra-community 
friction  on  the  faith  that  this  would  be 
so,  and  that  none  of  the  protagonists 
would  be  harmed  or  embittered.  If  that 
is  not  the  case,  the  blame  rests  with  me; 
if  it  is  the  case,  then,  to  me,  a  very  slight 
advance  in  gay  liberation  has  been 
made. 

Richard  Summerbell 
Toronto 

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THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984  D    5 


SHETLAND'S 
MEADOW 


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6  D  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


THE  NEWS 

Police  photographers  get  it  all  on  film  in  Montreal  bar  raid 

Clubs  in  77,  cameras  in  '84 


ONTREAL  —  One  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  people  were 
arrested  early  on  the  morning 
of  Saturday  June  2  when  Mon- 
treal Urban  Community  police 
raided  Bud's,  a  gay  bar  located  on 
Stanley  Street.  At  midnight  on  the  same 
day,  a  demonstration  of  about  a  thou- 
sand people,  organized  by  ADGLQ 
(association  for  gay  and  lesbian  rights  in 
Quebec)  took  place  at  the  intersection  of 
Stanley  and  Ste-Catherine  streets. 

About  50  morality  squad  officers,  15 
members  of  the  tactical  force  and  10 
detectives  took  part  in  the  raid  under  the 
direction  of  detective  lieutenant  Claude 
Lalonde. 

The  bar's  manager,  Marc  Dufour, 
and  seven  other  employees  were  charged 
with  keeping  a  common  bawdyhouse. 
Police  also  charged  122  people  with  be- 
ing found  in  a  common  bawdyhouse  and 
33  with  gross  indecency.  Twenty- five 
others  were  released  without  charge.  The 
legal  capacity  of  the  bar  is  141  people. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  the  raid  was 
the  on-the-spot  use  of  photographers, 
who  took  photos  of  each  person  arrested 
alongside  of  the  arresting  officer.  This 
technique  was  first  used  in  last  year's 
police  raid  on  the  Back  Door  Baths  in 
Toronto  and  seems  to  have  been  devised 
to  overcome  the  inability  of  officers 
subsequently  to  identify  the  accused  in 
court,  producing  many  acquittals.  The 
Montreal  police  seem  not  only  to  have 
borrowed  the  technique,  but  also  to  have 
refined  it.  Photos  were  taken  of  sur- 
prised Bud's  patrons  before  they  were 
arrested,  and  some  of  these  were  passed 
on  to  the  media.  Photo  Police,  a  weekly 
crime  tabloid,  carried  a  photo  of  three 
men  together  in  a  washroom  cubicle. 
Thin  bars  had  been  printed  across  the 
eyes,  but  the  men  were  still  recognizable. 

In  the  aftermath  of  the  1977  raids, 
those  arrested  were  required  to  undergo 
VD  tests.  In  the  recent  raid,  the  police 
seem  not  to  have  used  this  tactic. 

According  to  Lalonde,  the  raid  was 
precipitated  by  complaints  about  the 
bar.  The  last  time  Montreal  police  car- 
ried out  a  similar  raid,  in  1977  (see  box), 
gay  activists  were  able  to  show  at  a  press 
conference  that  the  complaints  had  been 
filed  by  gay  men  who  had  been  threat- 
ened by  the  police  with  exposure. 

The  Bud's  raid  was  preceded  by  a  five- 
week  investigation  by  plainclothes 
police,  who  visited  the  bar  several  times, 
especially  in  connection  with  a  "slave 
auction"  which  took  place  the  Wednes- 
day before  the  raid.  Lalonde  was  quoted 


™°  WW   1«JU»1|M    s 


&tt  Sua.  -  ^m  "  *»  Oun»  a—  , 


Into  the  streets  —  again:  Demonstrators  fill 
rue  Ste-Catherine  June  3  to  protest  the  ar- 
rest of  the  "188"  at  Bud's  bar 

in  Montreal's  Sunday  Express  as  saying 
that  Bud's  was  unique  and  that  activities 
that  occurred  there  were  not  typical  of 
gay  bars.  "It  really  was  a  bawdyhouse," 
he  was  quoted  as  saying. 

ADGLQ  went  to  work  at  9  am  the 
morning  after  the  raid  to  organize  a 
response.  By  late  afternoon  and  early 
evening,  a  leaflet  was  being  distributed 
to  gay  businesses.  The  media  were  con- 
tacted and  told  that  gays  would  be  tak- 
ing to  the  streets  in  protest  against  the 
police  action.  A  group  was  put  to  work 
making  placards  and  a  marshalling  team 


was  assembled  to  ensure  a  peaceful 
protest. 

Within  minutes  after  midnight,  the  in- 
tersection of  Stanley  and  Ste-Catherine 
was  completely  blocked  by  about  a  thou- 
sand chanting  demonstrators  and  1 ,500 
onlookers. 

With  the  arrival  of  the  police  anti-riot 
squad  at  around  12:30,  the  demonstra- 
tors started  to  move  east  along  Ste-Cath- 
erine, filling  three  blocks.  The  march 
continued  for  about  30  blocks  to  Mont- 
calm Street  and  finally  dispersed  without 
incident  in  front  of  Chez  Max,  another 
gay  bar. 

The  annual  general  meeting  of 
ADGLQ,  held  June  3,  voted  to  create  a 
support  committee  for  those  charged. 


The  committee  will  provide  information 
and  legal  assistance  to  the  "  1 88. " 

ADGLQ  also  demanded  that  Quebec 
justice  minister  Pierre  Marc  Johnson 
launch  an  inquiry  into  arrest  procedures 
and  conditions  under  which  those  arrest- 
ed were  held.  ADGLQ  charges  that  the 
mass  arrest  was  an  abuse  of  police 
power,  because  people  were  arrested  in- 
discriminately and  taken  away  to  the 
Bonsecours  Street  police  station,  where 
at  least  133  people  spent  the  night  sleep- 
ing on  floors  and  benches.  The  associa- 
tion also  accused  police  of  violating  con- 
stitutional rights  by  arresting  most 
people  without  informing  them  of  the 
charge. 

The  application  of  the  bawdyhouse 
provisions  of  the  Criminal  Code  is  ex- 
tremely arbitrary.  Although  the  found-in 
charge  is  relatively  minor  (it  is  a  sum- 
mary charge),  individuals  convicted  are 
liable  to  a  fine  and  will  carry  a  criminal 
record,  just  like  anyone  found  guilty  of 
gross  indecency  (a  charge  that  carries  a 
maximum  penalty  of  five  years'  impris- 
onment). When  the  police  carry  out  a 
drug  raid,  they  charge  only  the  traffick- 
ers, not  everyone  who  happens  to  be  on 
the  premises.  The  122  people  charged  as 
found-ins  at  Bud's  may  become  crim- 
inals simply  because  they  went  for  a  beer 
or  mineral  water  in  a  licenced  premises. 

A  raid  two  years  ago  on  a  stag  party 
for  police  officers  in  Mascouche,  a  small 
Quebec  town,  reveals  the  outrageous 
disparity  in  the  laying  of  indecency 
charges.  In  that  case,  only  the  nude  fe- 
male dancers  were  charged;  not  a  single 
police  officer  found  in  that  particular 
"bawdyhouse"  was  arrested. 

Bernard  CourteD 


Truxx/Mystique: 
the  lessons  of  1977 

It  took  patience,  perseverance 
—  and  sticking  together 


The  raid  on  Bud's  is  not  the  first  time  the 
Montreal  police  have  used  the  bawdy- 
house laws  against  a  gay  bar. 

In  the  early  hours  of  Saturday,  October 
22, 1977,  more  than  50  police,  clad  in  riot 
gear  and  armed  with  machine  guns,  burst 
into  Truxx  and  Le  Mystique,  two  gay 
men's  bars  in  Montreal.  On  that  occasion 
146  men  were  arrested  and  charged  with 
being  found-ins  in  a  common  bawdy- 
house. The  victims  were  held  in  crowded 
police  cells  for  hours  without  bail  and 
were  forced  to  submit  to  VD  tests.  News 
of  the  raids  ripped  through  the  gay  com- 
munity the  following  day  and,  in  the  space 
of  about  six  hours,  the  Association  pour 
les  droits  de  la  communaute  gaie  du 
Quebec.  (Quebec  gay  community  rights 
association)  blanketed  the  bars  and  baths 
with  leaflets  and  organized  a  protest  for 
that  evening. 

By  midnight,  2,000  gay  people  had 
flooded  into  the  intersection  of  Stanley 
and  Ste-Catherine  streets.  They  fought 
with  police  who  were  attacking  the  crowd, 
trying  to  re-open  the  streets.  The  mass 
demonstration  was  not  cleared  away  for 


about  three  hours.  Four  men  were 
arrested. 

The  raids  and  the  angry  response  of  the 
gay  community  precipitated  a  public 
furor.  Civil  rights  organizations  and  the 
media  denounced  the  heavy-handed  police 
tactics  and  accused  the  Montreal  police  of 
discriminatory  behaviour  towards  the 
city's  gay  population. 

A  defence  committee  was  quickly  set  up 
and  a  public  meeting  to  discuss  the 
strategy  of  defence  drew  300  people.  All 
but  one  of  the  146  accused  pleaded  not 
guilty. 

Giuseppe  Salvaggio,  owner  of  Truxx 
and  Mystique,  was  singled  out  for  pros- 


ecution first.  He  was  convicted  on  April  2, 
1980,  sentenced  to  ten  days  in  jail  and 
fined  $5,000.  Two  years  later,  the  Quebec 
Court  of  Appeals  upheld  the  lower  court's 
finding  that  Truxx  was  a  bawdyhouse 
because  men  sometimes  had  sex  in  the 
washrooms  and  all  patrons  were  surely 
aware  of  that,  but  it  reduced  Salvaggio's 
sentence.  Only  then  did  the  Crown  pro- 
ceed against  the  found-ins,  whose  pros- 
pects looked  dismal  after  the  appeal 
court's  ruling. 

A  Crown  offer  to  drop  all  charges  if 
four  men  pleaded  guilty  was  refused. 
Defence  attorney  Joseph  Muskatel  armed 
himself  with  transcripts  of  the  Toronto 
1981  bathhouse  raid  trials  and  sheafs  of 
strategy  briefings  from  Toronto's  Right 
to  Privacy  Committee,  which  he  called 
"dynamite,"  only  to  walk  into  municipal 
court  December  14,  1982  and  hear  Crown 
prosecutor  Laurent-Claude  Laliberte  an- 
nounce he  did  not  plan  to  proceed.  "We 
had  no  other  choice;  it  was  just  too  much 
money"  to  bring  all  of  the  found-ins  to 
trial,  Laliberte  told  the  Montreal  Gazette. 
Besides,  of  the  four  police  officials  who 
planned  the  raid,  one  was  dead  and  two 
others  no  longer  lived  in  Quebec.  The 
Crown  had  also  "misplaced"  a  large 
quantity  of  relevent  documents. 

"This  decision  shows  the  value  of  stick- 
ing together,"  Muskatel  pointed  out  at 
the  time.  And  of  stocking  up  on  patience 
and  perseverance.  It  took  five  years. 

TBP  news  staff 


LITIC  D  JULY/AUGUST  1984  □    7 


si 
< 


OPERA  HOUSE  BUSTS 


Guilty  pleas  smother  real  questions 


BARRIE  —  All  the  formal  actors  in  the 
week-long  courtroom  drama  —  the 
judge,  the  Crown  attorney,  the  bevy  of 
defence  lawyers  —  seemed  to  agree.  Cer- 
tainly, the  31  men  who  had  been  charged 
last  summer  with  gross  indecency  for 
alleged  sexual  activity  in  the  public 
washroom  of  the  Orillia  Opera  House 
would  not  argue  with  the  general,  now 
seemingly  official,  opinion:  that  the  ac- 
cused men  had  already  been  severely 
punished  by  the  process  of  arrest  and  the 
devastating  effect  of  publicity  on  their 
personal  lives.  It  was  a  little  late  to  come 
to  that  conclusion  and  it  didn't  stop  the 
legal  proceedings  from  plodding 
through  to  their  end. 

The  court  appearances  had  taken  a 
while  to  arrange  —  eight  and  a  half 
months,  in  fact.  A  courtroom  in  the  Bar- 
rie  Courthouse  had  been  set  aside  for  the 
entire  week  of  May  14  to  18.  County 
court  chief  judge  William  Lyon  was  pre- 
siding and  John  Alexander,  recently  ap- 
pointed head  Crown  attorney  for  Simcoe 
County,  was  handling  the  prosecution. 

All  but  one  of  the  14  lawyers  showed 
up  on  the  first  morning  to  set  a  time  for 
their  clients  to  appear  later  in  the  week. 
Well-known  local  lawyer  Richard  Clarke 
was  clearly  the  senior  counsel  and  he 
also  had  taken  the  most  cases  —  14  in 
all.  When  the  judge  entered  the  court- 
room, the  entire  front  row  of  black- 
robed  men  bowed  deeply  in  a  single  rit- 
ual motion.  Behind  them  sat  their  clients 
—  30  nervous,  mostly  middle-aged  men, 
a  large  number  of  them  accompanied  by 
their  wives. 

Also,  this  time,  unlike  the  first  court 
appearance  in  Orillia  last  fall,  when  the 
story  was  big  news  and  TV  camera  crews 
chased  the  accused  as  they  exited  from 
the  courthouse,  there  was  scarcely  a 
reporter  in  sight. 

The  five  days  in  court  rolled  by  with- 
out a  hitch.  All  the  inconvenient  details 
had  been  dropped  or  smoothed  away  to 
speed  up  the  process.  There  was  a  script; 
it  had  all  been  decided  beforehand  in 


meetings  among  the  lawyers  and  with 
the  Crown:  everyone  was  supposed  to 
plead  guilty.  And  all  but  one  person 
eventually  did  so.  On  the  first  day,  four 
of  the  accused  told  the  court  they  would 
be  pleading  not  guilty  and  would  go  to 
trial.  By  the  end  of  the  week,  however, 
only  one  person  was  able  to  withstand 
the  tide  of  guilty  pleas  —  and  the 
pressure  of  lawyers. 

The  final  tally:  30  men  pleaded  guilty. 
Of  these,  14  got  conditional  discharges 
and  17  got  fines  ranging  from  $200  to 
$700.  The  man  who  asked  for  a  trial  — 
an  Orillia  high-school  teacher  —  was 
convicted  anyway  and  got  a  conditional 
discharge.  His  ordeal  was  not  to  end 
there,  however. 

A  week  later,  the  Simcoe  County 
Board  of  Education  met  in  an  in-camera 
session  and  voted  to  fire  him  and  two 
other  teachers  for  immoral  criminal  con- 
duct. The  three  had  been  put  on  paid 
sick  leave  after  the  charges  were  made 
public  last  September.  None  has  been  in 
a  classroom  since  then.  The  Ontario 
Secondary  Teachers'  Federation  plans  to 
appeal  the  firings. 

Crown  attorney  Alexander  told  court 
that  the  Orillia  City  Police  had  decided 
early  in  1983  there  was  a  "problem"  in 
the  public  washroom  in  the  basement  of 
the  Opera  House.  In  May  they  requested 
video-camera  equipment  from  the  On- 
tario Provincial  Police.  In  June,  a  cam- 
era was  installed  in  the  ceiling  above  the 
washroom  cubicles.  A  second  camera 
was  installed  in  early  July  to  survey  the 
area  outside  the  cubicles.  The  two 
cameras  operated  in  the  washroom  for 
five  hours  a  day  for  a  period  of  18  days 
during  the  summer.  An  Orillia  police  of- 
ficer watched  two  monitors  during  that 
period  and  switched  on  cameras  when 
something  appeared  to  be  happening. 

Almost  all  of  the  activity  recorded  by 
the  camera  and  described  in  court  was 
solitary  masturbation  behind  the  closed 
doors  of  the  cubicles.  A  glory  hole  in  the 
partition  allowed  for  a  glimpse  of  the  ad- 
jacent cubicle.  "This  is  certainly  not  one 
of  the  most  serious  offences  in  the 


Criminal  Code,"  admitted  Alexander  in 
his  opening  remarks. 

"These  acts  may  or  may  not  be  dis- 
tasteful to  most  people,"  Judge  Lyons 
said  in  his  decision.  It  was  not  the  homo- 
sexual acts  themselves  that  made  them  a 
criminal  offence,  he  said,  it  was  the  fact 
that  they  were  committed  in  a  public 
place.  Lyons  acknowledged  that  "each 
of  the  accused  has  already  suffered 
adverse  consequences  as  a  result  of  ar- 
rest and  public  controversy."  Defence 
lawyers  all  presented  details  on  the  ways 
in  which  this  public  humiliation  had  af- 
fected the  lives  of  their  clients.  Most  of 
the  men  are  married,  many  have  chil- 
dren, the  majority  are  in  their  forties  or 
older.  One  man  tried  to  commit  suicide. 
At  least  three  men  have  reached  retire- 
ment age. 

Throughout  the  week-long  court  pro- 
ceedings, no  lawyer  questioned  the  use 
of  video  cameras  for  the  detection  of 
sexual  offences,  although  a  few  pointed 
out  that  it  was  activity  verv  difficult  to 
detect  without  the  use  of  such 
sophisticated  equipment.  No  lawyer 
questioned  the  violation  of  privacy  in- 
herent in  focussing  a  camera  on  the 
toilet  habits  of  the  unsuspecting  public, 
although  at  least  one  noted  that  his 
client  had  no  idea  it  was  a  criminal  of- 
fence to  masturbate  alone  in  a 
washroom  cubicle.  He  had  thought  it 
was  private  as  long  as  he  occupied  it.  No 
lawyer  questioned  the  entrapment 
techniques  of  the  police,  although  one 
commented  that  if  his  client  had  been 
charged  immediately  after  the  first  act 
had  been  observed,  he  would  not  likely 
have  been  charged  a  second  time  the 
next  day.  No  one  questioned  the  cost  of 
the  investigation,  although  only  a  few 
minutes  of  tape  ever  appeared  in  court 
as  evidence  in  one  trial.  The  rest  of  the 
tape  was  seen  only  by  the  police,  the 
Crown  attorney  and  the  appropriate 
defence  lawyer. 

Finally,  no  one  asked  what  would 
happen  to  the  tape  footage  once  the 
trials  were  over.  Would  it  be  destroyed, 
or  would  it  go  on  file  somewhere?  When 
Staff-Inspector  Francis  Smith  of  the 
Orillia  City  Police  was  asked  that  ques- 
tion, he  would  only  say,  characteristical- 
ly, "We're  giving  no  interviews  on  the 
case,  period." 

In  the  corridor  outside  the  courtroom 
during  a  break,  one  of  the  accused,  a 


***•    Mb.. 


Catea/fe  greet 


«"**,^ 


Pr*>*Htr 


"»imtttt„y 


*""  ton*,  . 


ackers  to       *ggg&! 
duties      ^SS-5«r 


Quote  of  the  month 

"If  some  pea-brain  finds  the 
Sun  a  danger  to  society, 
heaven  help  us  what  else  will 
be  deemed  unsuitable  for 
human  consumption." 


—  Claire  Hoy,  Toronto  Sun 
columnist,  in  answer  to  the  Toronto 
school  board's  women  *$  liaison  com- 
mittee, which  has  called  the  Sun 
"too  sexist." 


white-haired  gentleman  with  a  twinkle  in 
his  eye,  had  an  appropriate  final  com- 
ment: "They  should  use  some  of  the 
money  from  the  fines  to  clean  up  that 
washroom.  It's  a  hell  of  a  mess."- 

Ed  Jackson  D 

RTPC  trims  activities, 
pursues  fundraising 

TORONTO  —  It  costs  a  lot  of  money  to 
sue  Barbara  Amiel,  the  editor  of  the 
Toronto  Sun.  But  the  Right  to  Privacy 
Committee  is  doing  just  that,  because  of 
a  column  Amiel  wrote  soon  after  the 
1981  bath  raids.  She  suggested  the  RTPC 
had  caused  embarrassment  to  some  of 
those  arrested  by  sending  letters  to  their 
homes.  That  was  not  true  —  the  RTPC 
had  written  to  the  men  in  care  of  their 
lawyers.  But  it  caused  trouble,  because 
gay  people  who  read  the  Sun  got  the  im- 
pression the  RTPC  couldn't  be  trusted. 

The  Sun  case  is  only  one  of  the  many 
causes  for  which  the  RTPC  has  had  to 
collect  funds.  Fortunately,  the  group  is 
used  to  raising  money.  It  raised  $150,000 
for  the  defence  of  those  arrested  in  the 
bath  raids,  and  helped  develop  the  legal 
defences  that  got  acquittals  for  most  of 
those  charged  with  being  found  ins-in  a 
common  bawdyhouse. 

The  RTPC,  in  cooperation  with  the 
Gay  Community  Council,  also  started 
Gay  Courtwatch,  an  organization  with 
an  office  at  Old  City  Hall  that  keeps 
track  of  gay  people  who  end  up  in  court 
on  entrapment  charges  (gross  indecency, 
committing  an  indecent  act,  that  sort  of 
thing).  Courtwatch  helps  people  get 
legal  help,  and  keeps  count  of  the  num- 
ber of  these  cases  that  go  through  the 
legal  system. 

Money  and  volunteers  are  what  makes 
it  happen.  The  RTPC  recently  decided  to 
suspend  formal  political  activity  and  is 
making  some  in-house  changes  to  help  it 
raise  even  more  money.  A  steering  com- 
mittee has  been  set  up  to  coordinate 
fund-raising  for  the  Amiel  suit  and  the 
other  legal  work  the  committee  does  — 
challenging  the  search  warrant  used  in 
the  1982  raid  on  the  Back  Door  baths, 
for  example.  The  steering  committee  is 
also  ready  to  act  in  the  event  of  another 
emergency  in  the  community. 

Glenn  Wheeler 

Duty-free  kisses? 

SHERBROOKE  —  A  symbolic  ex- 
change of  kisses  will  take  place  at  the 
Canadian-US  border  August  25  if  Ver- 
mont gay  groups  respond  to  an  invita- 
tion issued  by  the  Association  pour 
l'epanouissement  de  la  communaute 
gaie  de  PEstrie  (association  for  the 
liberation  of  the  Estrie  gay  community). 

The  participants  will  kiss  each  other 
without  crossing  the  border.  The  action 
is  sponsored  by  the  International  Gay 
Association  and  will  occur  in  Ontario, 
Quebec,  the  US,  Switzerland,  West  Ger- 
many and  France. 

Bernard  Courte,  Montreal □ 


A  few  years  ago,  Sue  Mabey,  a 
member  of  the  United  Church  of 
Canada,  was  training  to  become 
a  minister.  She  had  completed  the 
necessary  education  and  was 
working  as  a  "supply  preacher"  at  St 
Paul's  church  in  Toronto  until  she  be- 
came officially  ordained  as  a  minister. 
The  last  step  in  the  process  was  a  series 
of  interviews  in  Mabey's  home  town,  or 
presbytery  —  in  Mabey's  case, 
Hamilton. 

Mabey  was  going  through  divorce 
proceedings  at  the  time  of  her  inter- 
views, and  the  interview  board  asked 
why  the  marriage  had  broken  up.  Mabey 
told  them:  she  had  realized  she  was  a  les- 
bian. The  interview  board  decided  not  to 
ordain  her. 

Sue  Mabey  left  the  church,  and  found 
a  job  watering  plants  in  offices  and 
restaurants. 

• 
That  was  1980.  This  year,  in  August,  the 
General  Council  of  the  United  Church 
will  meet  in  the  small  town  of  Morden, 
Manitoba  (population  3,266)  for  a  week 
of  discussion  and  policy-making.  One  of 
the  items  expected  to  be  on  the  council's 
agenda  is  a  report  submitted  by  a  task 
force  of  the  Division  of  Ministry,  Per- 
sonnel and  Education.  The  report  advo- 
cates the  ordination  of  self-declared  ho- 
mosexuals. The  big  question  now  is  not 
what  the  council  will  say  about  the  re- 
port —  but  whether  any  decision  will  be 
made  at  all. 

The  report  was  made  public  at  the  end 
of  March.  In  the  two  months  since  then, 
word  has  come  from  the  church's  con- 
ferences —  regional  areas  of  church 
membership  —  that  most  members  want 
more  time  to  consider  the  task  force's 
recommendation  that  homosexuality     . 
should  not  be  a  bar  to  ordination  of  an 
otherwise  fit  candidate  for  the  ministry. 

One  thousand  delegates  to  the  Mari- 
times  conference,  which  sends  38  repre- 
sentatives (or  "commissioners")  to  Gen- 
eral Council,  the  highest  decision-mak- 
ing body  of  the  church,  voted  in  Sack- 
ville,  New  Brunswick  to  petition  for  a 
delay. 

The  Toronto  conference,  which  will 
be  represented  by  42  of  the  Council's 
350  commissioners,  also  asked  for  more 
time.  Rev  Bruce  McLeod,  a  former 
moderator  of  the  United  Church,  said, 
"If  we  move  too  soon  we  don't  give  any 
of  us  a  chance  to  hear  each  other  and 
grow." 

The  Toronto  conference  met  at  the 
Thornhill  Community  Centre.  The  Duf- 
ferin-Peel  Presbytery,  one  segment  of 
the  conference,  presented  a  petition  ask- 
ing the  church  to  prohibit  the  ordination 
or  commissioning  of  any  minister  "who 
communicates  to  church  courts  and 
committees  his  or  her  persistent  and 
preferential  homosexual  practice."  The 
Toronto  conference  is  obliged  to  pass  the 
petition  on  to  the  General  Council,  even 
if  they  don't  approve  it.  One  of  the  del- 
egates at  the  community  centre  recom- 
mended that  the  conference  support  the 
report.  The  recommendation  was  de- 
feated by  a  vote  of  261  to  223.  The 
Northeastern  Ontario  conference  voted 
not  to  exclude  gay  people  from  the 
ministry,  but  delegates  would  not  en- 
dorse the  report,  either.  The  Alberta 
conference  wants  the  issue  delayed,  and 
delegates  have  asked  for  a  further 
report. 

The  Newfoundland,  Hamilton,  East- 
ern Ontario  and  London  conferences 
have  all  voted  against  the  report's  rec- 
ommendations. ¥he  London  conference 
also  turned  down  a  recommendation 
that  called  for  further  study. 

Clearly,  many  people  of  the  church  do 
not  feel  ready  to  make  a  decision.  But 


THE  RIGHT  QUESTIONS, 
BUT  NO  EASY  ANSWERS 

The  debate  on  gay  ordination  continues 

to  stymie  the  not-so  United  Church. 

A  report  by  Gillian  Rodgerson 


A  definite  maybe:  Church  moderator  Clarke  MacDonald  stands  pat  on  refusal  to  take  a  stand 


the  report  was  intended  as  a  document 
for  study,  a  basis  for  discussion.  Per- 
haps the  lack  of  consensus  among  dele- 
gates is  a  good  sign:  so  far,  there  has 
been  more  study  and  discussion  than 
outright  rejection  of  the  report's 
recommendations . 

• 
The  United  Church  of  Canada  holds 
strong  positions  on  many  sensitive 
issues:  nuclear  disarmament,  apartheid 
and  the  interference  of  the  United  States 
in  Central  America  are  but  a  few.  United 
Church  Sunday  schools  preach  about 
the  importance  of  social  action  as  they 
dole  out  the  weekly  Bible  verses.  Peti- 
tions and  letters  to  local  politicians  are 
as  common  a  sight  on  church  bulletin 
boards  as  pictures  of  the  congregation's 
missionary  family  grinning  in  the  desert 
or  notices  of  the  quilting  group's  next 
meeting. 


Clarke  MacDonald,  moderator  of  the 
church  for  the  past  two  years,  is  a  strong 
public  advocate  of  nuclear  disarmament 
and  the  human  rights  of  gay  people.  He 
demonstrated  his  support  of  the  peace 
movement  by  publicly  protesting  at  Lit- 
ton Systems  —  yet  he  refuses  to  make  a 
public  statement  on  the  question  that  is 
now  before  the  church.  In  a  way  this  is 
the  result  of  the  position  he  holds  —  his 
title  is  indicative  of  the  role  the  church 
expects  him  to  take  on  questions  of 
church  policy.  Unlike  most  religious 
organizations,  the  United  Church  has  no 
formal  line  of  authority.  And  MacDon- 
ald, although  he  will  preside  over  the 
August  meeting  of  the  General  Council, 
holds  no  real  power:  his  decisions  are 
not  binding,  and  neither  are  those  of  the 
council  itself. 

The  real  key  to  the  power  structure  of 
the  United  Church  is  the  laity  —  the 


people  in  the  pews. 

• 
Sue  Mabey  is  no  longer  a  member  of  the 
United  Church,  but  she  has  done  a  lot  of 
work  to  change  the  minds  of  those 
people  in  the  pews.  She  has  lectured  as 
"Exhibit  A,"  as  she  put  it,  at  a  number 
of  United  churches  recently,  and  she 
says  she  doesn't  think  members  of  the 
congregation  want  to  know  what  their 
ministers  do  in  bed.  She  knows  many 
people  are  worried  about  what  kind  of 
example  will  be  set  for  "young  people." 
(Ministers,  like  teachers,  are  looked 
upon  by  the  general  populace  as  role 
models.)  Other  people  have  more  mun- 
dane worries.  For  example,  will  homo- 
sexual ministers  be  living  in  United 
Church  manses  with  their  lovers?  Mabey 
thinks  that  most  church-goers  are  still 
questioning  the  idea  of  ordination  for 
gay  men  and  lesbians.  Many  of  those 
who  are  undecided  but  would  likely  op- 
pose the  recommendation  have  never  ac- 
tually met  a  gay  person.  They  often  find 
they  get  over  their  objections  to  the  idea 
after  talking  to  someone  like  Sue 
Mabey.  Another  factor  that  changes 
people's  minds,  Mabey  speculates,  is  the 
"bigotedness"  of  those  openly  opposed 
to  the  report.  "Sometimes  the  best  thing 
reports  like  this  have  going  for  them  are 
those  against,"  Mabey  says  —  and  she 
may  be  right. 

• 
"Those  against"  have  certainly  been 
making  their  views  clear.  One  of  the 
report's  supporters  is  Rev  Frank 
Meadows,  of  Toronto's  Fairlawn  United 
Church.  Fairlawn  has  received  two 
bomb  threats. 

No  one  has  threatened  to  blow  up  85 
St  Clair  Avenue  East,  the  United  Church 
of  Canada's  head  office  and  a  much 
more  visible  target.  But  members  of  the 
church  have  sent  letters  to  that  address 
threatening  to  withdraw  their  financial 
support.  Dr  Anne  Squire,  head  of  the 
Division  of  Ministry,  Personnel  and 
Education,  is  in  charge  of  replying  to  let- 
ters about  the  division's  report.  By  June 
1  more  than  a  thousand  letters  had  been 
received  by  the  church .  Some  of  these 
were  sent  to  the  United  Church  Obser- 
ver, an  independent  journal  that  chroni- 
cles the  church's  activities.  The  Observer 
forwarded  the  mail  on  to  Squire's  office. 
Squire  says  the  letters  have  been  mostly 
negative,  and  some  of  them  homopho- 
bic. But,  as  she  points  out,  "Usually  it's 
the  people  who  are  against  something 
who  write  letters."  Many  letters  arrived 
only  a  few  days  after  the  release  of  the 
report,  so  it  appears  that  some  detrac- 
tors were  reacting  to  press  accounts  of 


Closeted 

candidates;  homo 
hog  farmers 

Some  "fast footwork*'—  and 
a  little  showing  off 


Many  of  the  United  Church's  gay  mem- 
bers who  consider  becoming  ministers 
conceal  their  sexual  preference.  This 
makes  ordination  more  possible  —  but  it 
can  also  make  life  extremely  painful.  One 
recent  graduate  says  it's  difficult  to  be  out 
in  the  seminary  because  of  the  "atmos- 
phere of  paranoia"  which  builds  up  dur- 
ing the  series  of  interviews  candidates 
must  go  through  before  ordination.  At  the 
congregational,  presbytery  and  confer- 
ence levels,  everyone  intending  to  be  a 
candidate  is  questioned  on  a  variety  of 
topics  from  theology  to  sexuality.  In  her 
interviews,  one  woman  told  the  congrega- 


tion board  she  wasn't  married;  they  re- 
plied that  they'd  have  to  "marry  her  off," 
perhaps  by  "putting  a  sign  on  the  lawn  of 
the  manse."  "Some  fast  footwork"  and 
changing  of  pronouns  are  required  when 
the  gay  or  lesbian  candidate  is  asked 
about  relationships. 

One  of  the  conditions  for  ordination  is 
that  the  candidate  be  placed  in  a  con- 
gregation. The  "prevailing  mythology  is 
that  congregations  won't  accept  a  gay 
minister,"  the  graduate  explained, 
"especially  if  they  think  they're  having  a 
fast  one  pulled  on  them,  that  they're  hav- 
ing this  deviant  plopped  in  their  midst  to 
be  their  minister."  The  congregation  must 
trust  its  minister  and  believe  the  minister  is 
equipped  to  do  the  job.  If  an  awareness  of 
sexual  orientation  colours  the  congrega- 
tion's perception  of  their  pastor,  it  can 
make  the  pastor's  job  much  harder. 

When  asked  how  being  a  lesbian  will  af- 
fect her  ministry,  the  graduate  says  she 
has  "a  real  identification  with  oppressed 
people."  She  tries  to  concentrate  on  the 


positive  things  being  lesbian  would  bring 
to  the  ministry:  "I  have  to  do  that  to  sur- 
vive," she  says,  "because  the  negatives 
are  so  overwhelming." 
• 
The  Manitoba  gay  community  is  making  a 
contribution  to  the  General  Council 
meeting  through  a  programme  called 
"Manitoba  Experience,"  to  be  held  the 
weekend  of  August  10  to  12.  The  event 
will  allow  commissioners  and  some 
members  of  the  press  to  spend  time  with 
people  involved  in  a  variety  of  activities, 
from  hog-farming  to  gay  liberation.  The 
chance  to  meet  the  "invisible  Christians" 
of  the  gay  community  is  intended  to  help 
commissioners  get  to  know  gay  people. 
"Be  with  them  in  their  homes;  observe 
and  enjoy  their  social  life;  worship  with 
them,"  says  the  conference  brochure. 
Although  the  tourist  approach  may  be 
questionable,  the  "Manitoba  Experience" 
may  be  what  some  commissioners  need  so 
they  can  make  up  their  minds  about  the 
question  of  ordination  for  homosexuals 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984  □    9 


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the  report.  Squire  notes  that  it  was  dif- 
ficult to  assess  how  many  individuals  ac- 
tually wrote  letters.  (It  seems  that  those 
who  oppose  the  report  are  not  only  vocal 
but  well-organized:  a  lot  of  the  mail 
Squire  received  consisted  of  photocopies 
of  a  few  oft-repeated  negative  letters.) 
And  a  number  of  the  letters  were  the 
work  of  Pentecostal  church  members. 

So  that's  the  hate  mail.  Squire  divides 
the  responses  to  the  report  into  three 
categories;  the  other  two  are  "support- 
ive" and  "uncertain." 

A  researcher  has  been  hired  to  analyze 
the  letters  and  present  a  report  to  the 
commissioners  about  their  contents. 
Many  positive  letters  have  come  from 
parents  and  friends  of  gay  members  of 
the  church.  Squire  said  that  there  have 
also  been  a  number  of  positive  responses 
from  individual  members  of  the  Angli- 
can and  Roman  Catholic  clergy. 


But  the  real  clue  to  the  debate  at  this 
time  is  the  "uncertains."  Squire  said 
most  of  the  uncertain  letters  centred 
around  questions  of  lifestyle,  the  rela- 
tion of  theology  and  the  Bible  to  homo- 
sexuality, and  the  issues  of  sin  and  sex- 
uality itself.  In  these  issues  may  lie  the 
answer  to  the  question  of  the  church's 
marked  reluctance  to  take  a  stand. 

The  United  Church  has  only  recently 
begun  to  examine  sexuality  and  human 
relations  in  a  religious  context.  In  1980 
the  church  released  a  report  on  sexuality 
called  In  God's  Image. . .  Male  and  Fe- 
male. Debate  over  that  publication  is 
still  raging.  The  controversy  was  enli- 
vened by  the  release  of  the  task-force  re- 
port this  March  —  a  follow-up  to  the 
1980  report.  The  March  report  is  strong- 
ly positive  towards  gay  Christians. 
Squire  thinks  that  because  these  issues 
are  very  new  topics  of  study  for  the 


church,  the  report  is  the  obvious  focus 
of  reaction. 

• 
One  person  who  will  be  affected  by  the 
report  is  a  gay  chaplain  at  a  Canadian 
correctional  facility,  who  shares  some  of 
the  concerns  of  the  "uncertains;"  feel- 
ing, for  example,  that  the  issue  is  a  much 
larger  one  than  the  ordination  of  gay 
church  members.  It  boils  down  to  a 
debate  that  has  been  carried  on  for  years 
over  the  authority  of  Scripture.  Accord- 
ing to  the  chaplain,  the  historical  debate 
has  posed  the  literal  interpretation  of  the 
Bible  against  its  use  as  a  guide  for  faith 
and  life.  That  debate  has  been  the  basis 
for  other  questions  that  have  threatened 
to  split  the  church  in  the  past:  the  con- 
troversy in  the  1930s  over  the  ordination 
of  women;  disagreements  about  the 
"nature"  of  the  ordained  ministry;  and 
the  debate  over  inclusive  language  in  the 


liturgy.  "The  church  is  like  a  peat  bog 
that's  on  fire  underneath.  Fires  crop  up 
and  we're  upset  by  outbursts,  but  we 
don't  realize  we're  walking  on  coals  all 
the  time." 

The  chaplain  believes  that  the  church 
must  solve  the  basic  problem  of  the 
authority  of  the  Scripture  —  either  by 
agreeing  to  disagree  in  some  way,  or  by 
dividing  in  two.  Otherwise,  there  will 
always  be  issues  that  threaten  a  split. 

At  present,  one  group  threatening  to 
leave  if  it  does  not  get  its  way  is  the  right- 
wing  United  Church  Renewal  Fellow- 
ship. The  group  is  particularly  strong  in 
British  Columbia,  where  Affirm,  the 
organization  of  United  Church  gays,  is 
also  strong.  At  the  meeting  of  the  BC 
Conference,  the  two  groups  exhibited 
rare  cooperation:  they  both  urged  that 
the  report  be  discussed  and  settled  final- 
ly at  Morden.  Both  groups  believe  that 


10  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  C  JULY/AUGUST  1984 


the  time  for  talk  is  past.  A  decision  must 
be  made. 

The  UCRF  publishes  a  paper  called 
The  Small  Voice.  A  recent  issue  was 
titled  "Healing  for  the  Homosexual, 
Healing  for  the  Church."  In  this  title  lies 
a  clue  to  the  UCRF's  position.  UCRF 
members  appear  firmly  convinced  that 
homosexuality  can  be  "cured"  and  the 
paper  includes  testimonials  from  five 
"ex-gays"  who  now  claim  to  be  involved 
in  successful  heterosexual  marriages. 

The  view  of  gayness  as  something  that 
needs  only  a  good  religious  experience  to 
"be  cured"  allows  the  UCRF  to  justify 
its  anti-gay  stance.  The  group  claims 
that  healing  would  "in  the  long  run...  be 
of  greater  significance  for  the  homo- 
sexual person  and  community  than  what 
to  this  point  has  been  advocated."  What 
has  been  advocated  is  the  ordination  of 
homosexuals  —  in  effect,  an  end  to  the 
United  Church's  homophobia. 

In  May,  Rev  Clifford  Elliot  of  Bloor 
Street  United  Church  in  Toronto  wrote  a 
guest  column  in  the  Toronto  Star,  stress- 
ing the  importance  of  gay  and  straight 
church  members  sitting  down  together 
to  talk.  "Perhaps  the  best  thing  about 
the  church's  report  on  the  ordination  of 
homosexuals  is  that  it  will  stimulate 
more  open  discussion  of  homosexuality 
in  the  churches  and  in  society  generally," 
Elliot  wrote.  "Christian  intolerence  and 
discrimination  against  homosexuals  may 
not  be  directly  responsible  for  the  op- 
pression of  homosexuals  in  our  society, 
but  without  Christian  intolerance  and 
discrimination,  society's  oppression  of 
homosexuals  would  not  long  continue." 

• 
The  "Christian  intolerance"  to  which 
Elliot  refers  is  by  no  means  confined  to 
the  United  Church,  but  some  denomina- 
tions have  fared  better  than  others. 


Overwhelmed:  Ann  Squire  got  lots  of  letters 

The  House  of  Bishops  of  the  Anglican 
Church  of  Canada,  for  example,  has  in- 
formally decided  that  a  bishop  who  or- 
dains a  gay  candidate  need  not  face  cen- 
sure by  his  peers  —  not  exactly  rampant 
support  for  gay  clergy,  but  certainly  not 
active  censuring  of  homosexuality. 

Bruce  Hunter  of  Dignity  Toronto,  an 
organization  for  gay  Catholics,  thinks  it 
is  "just  terrific"  that  the  United  Church 
is  debating  the  issue  of  gay  ministers. 
Asked  about  his  church's  position  on 
gay  clergy,  he  speculated  that  the  Catho- 
lic Church  felt  "it's  okay  to  be  a  bird  as 
long  as  you  don't  fly."  Unfortunately  — 
likely  as  a  result  of  the  Pope's  scheduled 
visit  in  the  fall  —  this  attitude  is  chang- 
ing. As  TBP  goes  to  press,  it  has  been 
discovered  that  two  men  have  been  fired 
from  the  staff  of  St  Augustine  seminary. 
Their  abrupt  dismissal  was  the  result  of  a 
long  investigation  into  allegations  of 
homosexuality  at  the  school. 


Turning  liberals  into  terrorists 

Toronto's  Allan  Gardens  turned  out  to  be  a  great  place  for  a  demonstration  against 
Bill  C-9.  That's  the  legislation  to  set  up  the  Canadian  Security  Intelligence  Service,  a 
spy-catching  agency  separate  from  the  RCMP  with  the  power  to  carry  out  the  dirty 
work  the  RCMP  has  had  to  do  illegally.  The  bill  was  organized  by  Solicitor-General 
Robert  Kaplan;  the  demo  was  organized  by  a  bunch  of  anarchist  groups  in  Toronto, 
and  attended  by  a  slew  of  people  —  some  disguised,  some,  like  those  below,  not,  and 
some  who  weren't  used  to  being  in  Allan  Gardens  in  the  daylight. 

"It's  blackmail,"  one  speaker  told  us  in  the  shade  of  the  Robbie  Burns  statue. 
"People  say,  'If  I  don't  bother  them,  they  won't  bother  me.'  But  it  isn't  like  that. 
The  wording  of  the  legislation  is  so  broad  that  even  the  wishy-washiest  liberal  can 
come  under  their  gaze.  First  you're  a  liberal  and  then  you're  a  terrorist." 

Bill  C-9  was  the  hot  topic  in  the  House  of  Commons  during  the  May,  but  as  TBP 
goes  to  press  it  looks  likely  that  the  bill  will  be  passed  —  despite  a  three-day  filibuster 
by  the  NDP's  Svend  Robinson  and  a  last-ditch  attempt  by  Toronto  MP  Dan  Heap  to 
stall  passage. 

The  Opposition  has  managed  to  secure  a  few  changes  in  the  bill.  Warrants  to  tap 
telephones  or  bug  premises  will  be  good  for  60  days  (instead  of  the  originally  pro- 
posed year)  and  the  solicitor-general  must  approve  warrant  renewals. 

If  Kaplan  has  his  way,  the  bill  will  be  approved  by  the  Commons  and  the  Senate 
before  the  summer  recess  begins  June  29.  □ 


Some  people  are  forced  out  of  the 
church;  others  leave  of  their  own  voli- 
tion; many  fight  hard  to  stay.  Most  of 
the  gay  United  Church  ministers  I  talked 
to  had  not  revealed  their  sexuality  to  the 
church.  But  they  all  say  that  if  the 
church  decides  against  ordination  for 
homosexuals,  they  won't  leave. 

The  prison  chaplain  is  especially 
determined  to  remain  in  the  church's 
fold.  "I  will  not  leave.  If  the  church 
does  not  accept  this  report,  then  the 
church  is  not  following  the  will  of  Jesus 
Christ....  One  must  stay  within  the 
church  and  call  the  church  to  be 
faithful." 

Sue  Mabey  has  a  different  solution. 
When  she  applied  to  become  an  or- 
dained minister,  she  says,  she  had  "no 
idea  that  she'd  be  the  first"  self-declared 
gay  candidate.  And  she  "certainly  had 
no  intention  of  becoming  a  crusader." 
In  the  fall  of  1983  she  joined  MCC 
Toronto  as  a  student  minister,  and  now 
she  is  the  part-time  assistant  to  Pastor 
Brent  Hawkes.  She  will  be  licenced  as  an 
MCC  minister  next  May.  Would  she  re- 
join the  United  Church  if  it  decides  to 
ordain  homosexuals?  "No.  I  have  no 
desire  to  be  the  test  case.  I  would  not 
want  my  ministry  under  that  kind  of 
microscope.  It  would  be  the  first  thing 
people  would  know  about  me." 

Mabey  wonders  if  that  many  people 
would  come  out  even  if  the  church  does 
decide  in  favour  of  ordination  for  gay 
men  and  lesbians.  "When  it's  a  political 
issue  and  human  rights  are  at  stake, 
people  come  out,"  she  says.  "People 
have  a  right  to  reveal  themselves  if  they 
want  to,  but  it's  not  the  most  important 
thing  about  a  ministry." 

• 
Clifford  Elliot  is  right  in  his  assessment 
of  the  value  of  the  task  force's  report. 
The  very  fact  that  it  has  put  the  issue  of 
homosexuals  in  the  church  squarely  in 
front  of  people's  faces,  as  close  to  them 
as  the  pulpit  of  their  neighbourhood 
church  or  beside  them  in  the  pew,  is  an 
important  beginning 

Gillian  RodgersonD 

Gay  rights  back  on 
Manitoba's  agenda 

WINNIPEG  —The  Manitoba  Human 
Rights  Commission  has  released  a 
package  of  proposed  amendments  to  the 
Human  Rights  Code,  which  the  chair- 
person of  the  commission  says  will  make 
it  the  most  advanced  human  rights  code 
in  North  America.  Among  the  many  rec- 
ommended changes  is  a  section  prohibit- 
ing discrimination  on  the  grounds  of 
sexual  orientation. 

If  the  New  Democratic  Party  govern- 
ment chooses  to  accept  any  or  all  of  the 
recommendations  (they  could  ignore  the 
report  completely),  the  amendments  to 
the  code  will  probably  not  be  introduced 
in  the  legislature  until  late  this  year  or 
early  1985. 

Dale  Gibson,  chairperson  of  the  Man- 
itoba Human  Rights  Commission,  is  op- 
timistic about  the  acceptance  of  most  of 
the  package,  including  equal  pay  for 
women  and  the  prohibiting  of  discrimin- 
ation on  the  grounds  of  pregnancy, 
criminal  record  and  social  status,  but  is 
less  hopeful  about  the  sexual-orientation 
clause.  Manitoba's  NDP  government 
may  be  unwilling  to  pass  this  portion  of 
the  amendment  for  several  reasons.  The 
NDP  fears  the  public  reprisal  the  clause 
might  generate  —  some  party  members 
predict  the  bigots  will  come  out  with 
their  placards.  This  is  an  inopportune 
time  for  government  controversy,  as  the 
NDP  is  still  recovering  from  the  public 


backlash  it  encountered  in  its  attempts 
to  legislate  French  language  rights. 

Gibson  feels  these  fears  are  unfounded. 
While  the  package  was  being  prepared, 
the  commission  held  a  series  of  public 
meetings  so  that  people  could  express  their 
views  of  the  proposed  amendments.  At 
one  meeting  Gibson  endorsed  the  sexual- 
orientation  clause,  and  50  or  60  individ- 
uals and  organizations  made  presenta- 
tions in  favour  of  the  amendment  — 
among  them  the  Manitoba  Teachers'  So- 
ciety and  the  Manitoba  Association  of 
Registered  Nurses.  Gibson  said  he  has  re- 
ceived only  two  letters  from  people  op- 
posed to  the  clause. 

The  government  might  also  reject  the 
sexual-orientation  clause  for  financial 
reasons.  According  to  Gibson,  enlar- 
ging the  areas  of  prohibited  discrimina- 
tion will  increase  the  number  of  discrim- 
ination claims  and  result  in  the  need  for 


Optimistic:  Dale  Gibson,  rights  body  head 

more  staff  to  handle  the  extra  work. 

Chris  Vogel,  coordinator  of  Gays  for 
Equality,  fears  there  is  little  chance  the 
clause  will  be  passed.  There  has  not  been 
a  striking  case  of  discrimination  in  the  re- 
cent past,  he  says,  so  people  will  not  un- 
derstand the  need  for  protection  in  the 
human  rights  code.  Meanwhile,  Vogel 
continues  to  try  to  convince  the  govern- 
ment to  pass  the  amendment.  Demon- 
strations are  being  planned,  and  gay 
people  are  being  asked  to  write  to  mem- 
bers of  the  legislature.  As  well,  Gays  for 
Equality  is  trying  to  involve  other  provin- 
cial organizations  in  its  efforts. 

One  group  in  favour  of  the  amend- 
ment is  the  Manitoba  Chapter  of  the 
College  of  Family  Physicians  of  Canada. 
A  letter  from  the  College  of  Family 
Physicians  to  Manitoba  Attorney-Gen- 
eral Roland  Penner  outlined  the  general 
attitudes  of  Manitoba  doctors.  The  Col- 
lege said  that  if  gay  people  were  protect- 
ed from  discrimination,  they  would  be 
less  afraid  to  come  out  to  their  doctors; 
detection  of  AIDS  would  be  easier,  and 
doctors  would  have  less  problems  track- 
ing down  carriers  of  venereal  disease. 
The  Attorney-General  dismissed  the 
physician's  concerns  by  saying:  "I 
would  be  surprised  in  this  day  and  age 
that  anyone  would  hesitate  (to  reveal 
sexual  preference)  to  a  doctor." 

One  member  of  the  Manitoba  govern- 
ment who  is  not  opposed  to  the  new 
amendment  is  Muriel  Smith,  cabinet 
minister  for  Community  Services  and 
Corrections.  She  says  her  support  of  the 
amendment  has  been  known  for  some 
time.  However,  she  concedes  that,  what- 
ever her  opinion,  she  will  willingly  go 
along  with  the  government's  decision 
about  the  proposal. 

Although  the  amendment  package  is 
complete,  it  is  not  known  if  the  govern- 
ment will  choose  to  introduce  it  to  the 
legislature.  Until  the  entire  package  has 
been  accepted,  Quebec  will  remain  t he- 
only  province  in  Canada  with  a  Human 
Rights  Act  that  provides  legal  protection 
for  gay  people. 

John  Moreau,  Toronto 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  L  1  JULY/AUGUST  1984  □  11 


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66  Wellesley  Street  East. 

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A  big  thank-you  goes  out  to  all  these  people  for  helping 
make  AIDS  Awareness  Week  possible: 

Dr.  Alastair  Clayton,  Laboratory  Centre  of  Disease  Control  •  Dr.  Randy  Coates,  University  of 
Toronto  AIDS  Research  Project  •  Dr.  David  Day  •  Dr.  John  Derrick,  Canadian  Red  Cross  • 
Nathan  Fain  •  Dr.  Mary  Fanning,  Ontario  Advisory  Committee  on  AIDS  •  Dennis  Findlay  • 
Susan  Fish,  Ontario  Minister  of  Citizenship  and  Culture  •  Anne  Rochon  Ford,  DES  Action 
Toronto  •  Dr.  Richard  Fralick,  Toronto  Department  of  Public  Health  •  Sheila  Gilbert  •  Dr. 
Norbert  Gilmore,  National  Advisory  Committee  on  AIDS  •  Jo-Anne  Harper,  Canadian 
Hemophilia  Society  •  Jack  Layton,  Ward  6  Alderman  •  Jay  McGillivray  •  Bill  Mindell, 
Department  of  Public  Health  •  Dale  Muauro,  Canadian  Hemophilia  Society  •  Anne  Moon, 
Department  of  Public  Health  •  Joanne  Polak  •  Dr.  Stan  Read,  Hospital  for  Sick  Children  • 
Dr.  Evelyn  Wallace,  Ontario  Ministry  of  Health  •  LeeZaslofsky  •  519  Church  Street 
Community  Centre  •  Gays  In  Health  Care  •  Lesbian  Phoneline  •  923-GAYS  •  Right  To 
Privacy  Committee  •  Women's  Health  Network  •  Boots  •  Buddy's  •  Chaps  •  Club  Baths 
Toronto  •  Cornelius  •  Crispins  •  English  Flower  Shoppe  •  Lipstick  •  Pinocchio's 
Sandwich  Workshop  •  Pimblett's  •  Together 

and  especially  to  all  the  ACT  volunteers  who  put  in 
many  extra  hours  to  ensure  the  week's  success. 

Although  AIDS  Awareness  Week  paid  for  itself  through 
donations  of  time,  material  and  money,  the  AIDS 
Committee  of  Toronto  still  needs  your  financial 
support.  On  June  30,  our  joint  federal-provincial  grant 
ran  out,  and  we  need  your  contributions  now,  more 
than  ever,  to  continue  ACT's  work.  Receipts  for  tax 
deductions  will  be  issued  (registered  charitable 
organization  no.  0666172-11-13). 

This  ad  paid  for  by  a  grant  from  the  Gay  Community  Appeal  of  Toronto. 


COMBAT  ZONE 

CHRIS  BEARCHELL 


Administrative  artbusters 


"We  would  have  been  required  by  the 
Theatres  Act  to  (conduct  this  raid)  if 
they'd  been  showing  Bambi." 

—  an  official  of  the  Ministry 

of  Consumer  and  Commercial 

Relations  in  an  interview  with 

the  Globe  and  Mail 

Curator  Jane  Wright  had  worked  hard 
to  mount  Toronto's  end  of  the  British- 
Canadian  Video  Exchange  '84  at  Can- 
ada's oldest  artist-run  centre,  A  Space. 
It  wasn't  until  the  fourth  screening  in  the 
series,  May  31,  that  the  censor  board's 
axe  fell. 

It  was  an  evening  of  tapes  "dealing 
with  sexuality,  stereotypes  and  self- 
image,"  although  they  contained  noth- 
ing so  controversial  as  nudity.  The 
tapes,  including  "Framed  Youth,"  by 
the  London  Lesbian  and  Gay  Video  Pro- 
ject, had  all  been  shown  and  the  audi- 
ence was  filing  out  of  the  gallery  when 
TBP  reporter  Tim  McCaskell  noticed  a 
mean-looking  man  in  a  dark-blue  suit 
engaged  in  a  heated  discussion  with 
Wright.  He  wandered  over  and  discov- 
ered that  the  curator  was  being  present- 
ed with  documents  listing  the  tapes  (all 
those  shown  that  evening)  and  equip- 
ment (a  $2,500  videotape  player  on  loan 
from  Harbourfront  Gallery)  that  were 
about  to  be  seized  by  the  man  and  an 
accomplice.  Wright  had  been  avoiding 
direct  confrontation  with  the  censors  for 
the  two  weeks  the  exhibit  had  been 
open.  It  was  their  move  —  and  they'd 
obviously  decided  to  take  it. 

Representatives  of  the  Theatres 
Branch  of  the  above-named  ministry 
had  attended  three  earlier  screenings  (in- 
cluding two  devoted  to  the  peace  move- 
ment) in  the  series,  which  was  financed 
by  arts-funding  agencies  on  both  sides  of 
the  Atlantic.  No  charges  were  laid  at  the 
time  of  the  raid,  although  the  organizers 
were  told  they  had  contravened  section 
38  of  the  Theatres  Act,  which  requires 
that  they  have  a  licenced  projectionist 
and  that  films  be  submitted  to  the  censor 
board.  They  were  also  told  that  they 
could  contact  censor-board  chairman 
(sic)  Mary  Brown  the  morning  after  the 
raid  and  that  they  might  get  the  tapes 
back,  "depending  on  her  mood."  The 
gallery  points  out  that  videos  don't  need 
projectionists,  as  they  run  themselves, 
"like  sculpture,"  and  that  it  is  "inap- 
propriate for  the  Theatres  Branch  to 
have  control  over  these  works  of  art." 

As  TBP  goes  to  press,  the  tapes  and 
equipment  have  not  been  returned  to  A 
Space;  nor  have  charges  been  laid. 
Subsequent  screenings  in  the  British- 
Canadian  Video  Exchange  have  gone 
unmolested,  although  seizure  of  the 
equipment  forced  the  cancellation  of 
British  video  artist  Tina  Keane's  sculp- 
tural-installation work  about  the  Green- 
ham  Common  peace  camp. 

A  Space  members  and  supporters 
were  understandably  shocked  and  out- 
raged at  the  action  against  a  critically  ac- 
claimed art  exhibition.  Jane  Wright  said, 
the  night  of  the  raid,  that  it  was  "an  in- 
ternational embarrassment  and  will  cer- 
tainly damage  the  reputations  of  all  art 
institutions  in  the  province.  When  the 
province  moves  with  such  a  heavy  hand 
against  an  art  gallery,  what's  next?  Are 
they  going  to  be  judging  Daintings  and 
drawings,  too?" 


While  this  exhibition  is  completely 
consistent  with  the  video  work  exhibited 
by  A  Space  since  1970,  according  to  the 
gallery's  board  of  directors,  this  is  the 
first  project  of  its  scope  to  be  mounted 
and  presented  in  Canada.  The  gallery 
fears  the  intervention  of  the  Theatres 
Branch  jeopardizes  the  future  of  all  such 
exhibitions. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  censorship  is  a 
natural  issue  around  which  the  alterna- 
tive-arts world  could  organize  a  com- 
mon political  response,  many  worry  that 
the  competition  fostered  among  artists 


"When  the  province  moves 
with  such  a  heavy  hand 
against  an  art  gallery, 
what's  next?  Are  they 
going  to  be  judging 
paintings  and  drawings, 
too?" 


and  galleries  will  undermine  A  Space's 
chances  for  widespread  support  within 
the  arts  community. 

These  days,  the  Ontario  Censor  Board 
operates  in  spite  of  court  decisions  that 
it  is  unconstitutional  unless  the  "com- 
munity standards"  by  which  it  decides 
what  to  censor  are  defined  in  law.  Tech- 
nically, the  board  —  which  is  about  to 
be  renamed,  in  Newspeak,  the  Ontario 
Film  Review  Board  —  doesn't  yet  have 
jurisdiction  over  videotapes.  Consumer 
and  Commercial  Relations  Minister 
Robert  Elgie  introduced  legislation  May 
28  that  he  hopes  will  answer  the  court's 
objections.  It  will  also  extend  the 
board's  power  to  "classify,  cut  and 
ban"  videotapes. 

The  legislation,  introduced  only  three 
days  before  the  raid,  will  not  likely  be 
enacted  before  this  September. 

The  horror  of  this  incident  is  that,  as 
our  official  from  the  ministry  noted,  the 
content  of  the  tapes  is  irrelevant.  The 
censor  board,  riding  a  wave  of  pro-cen- 
sorship sentiment,  has  taken  upon  itself 
to  extend  its  mandate  to  video,  happy  to 
use  a  bureaucratic  device  to  harass  sus- 
picious art,  regardless  of  what  that  art 
may  contain.  The  prior  censorship  de- 
manded by  the  board  has  nothing  to  do 
with  what  might  or  might  not  be  accept- 
able according  to  contemporary  Canadi- 
an community  standards  —  that's  the 
business  of  the  Criminal  Code,  however 
poorly  those  standards  may  be  defined 
there.  While  the  obscenity  provisions  in 
criminal  law  make  the  censor  board 
quite  unnecessary  for  anyone's  "protec- 
tion," it  remains  a  useful  administrative, 
rather  than  judicial,  means  of  control- 
ling what  the  public  may  see. 

The  re-vamping  of  the  censor  board 
has  been  justified  as  a  means  to  curb  the 
spread  of  pornographic  video  casettes 
for  home  consumption.  The  first  target 
of  the  censors'  videomania,  however, 
has  been  not  under-the-counter  smut, 
but  an  alternative  art  gallery  showing 
what  may  as  well  have  been  Bambi. 
What  anti-censorship  advocate  could 
resist  saying  "I  told  you  so"?  But  that's 
small  comfort  as  you  watch  your  worst 
fears  being  realized.  □ 


12  G  THE  BODY  POLITIC  Z  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


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Cheap  Thrills  &  Blueberry  Tarts 

The  Notso  Amazon  Softball  League  premiered  Sunday,  May  27,  bringing  what  ap- 
peared to  be  half  the  lesbian  population  of  Toronto  to  Riverdale  Park.  The  exhibi- 
tion play  put  all  twelve  of  the  league's  teams  on  the  field;  the  games  began  at  10:30 
and  ended  at  5:00.  By  midday  the  players,  their  friends,  lovers,  children  and  pets,  as 
well  as  a  steady  stream  of  passers-by,  had  taken  over  the  park.  Riverdale  turned  into 
the  mythical  land  of  the  Amazons  for  a  day. 

The  NASL  is  Toronto's  first  lesbian  sports  league,  and  this  is  its  first  summer.  The 
response  the  organizers  received  went  far  beyond  anything  they  had  expected,  and 
more  than  200  women  signed  up.  The  league  has  accepted  as  many  members  as  it  can 
accommodate  for  this  season  (sorry,  there's  no  room  for  you  even  if  you  are  just  a 
little  dyke  who  doesn't  take  up  much  space),  but  names  are  being  placed  on  a  waiting 
list,  and  cheerleading  squads  are  now  under  construction. 

With  a  guiding  hand  from  the  "Notso  Collective,"  twelve  regular-season  games 
have  been  scheduled  for  Sunday  afternoons  at  four  locations  across  the  city,  fol- 
lowed by  playoffs  beginning  in  the  middle  of  September  and  an  end-of-season 
awards  banquet.  While  they  don't  intend  to  provide  the  Salukis,  Toronto's  lesbian 
hot-shot  team,  with  any  serious  competition,  the  Notso  Amazons  who  played  in  last 
Sunday's  games  demonstrated  that  they  can  play  a  good  game  of  baseball. 

This  is  definitely  a  league  with  character.  Teams  originally  labeled  "A,"  "B,"  "C" 
and  so  on  have  renamed  themselves  "Cheap  Thrills,"  "Cruisers,"  "Bats  Out  of 
Hell"  and  "Blueberry  Tarts"  (the  precise  meaning  of  this  name  escapes  even  the 
team  members  right  now). 

Traditional  softball  rules  have  been  altered  slightly  to  make  the  game  fit  the 
league.  For  the  benefit  of  those  who  haven't  hit  a  ball  since  grade  three,  for  example, 
the  umpire  may  step  in  and  keep  the  pitching  speed  down.  Base  stealing  is  allowed, 
which  lets  the  real  athletes  impress  the  bejesus  out  of  everybody  else.  In  the  exhibi- 
tion games  not  much  attention  was  paid  to  formalities,  and  socializing  tended  to  take 
over.  In  game  number  two,  one  base  runner  recognized  a  friend  on  the  bag,  and  they 
met  in  a  big  hug  on  first  base  while  the  ball  rolled  away  along  the  grass. 

The  league's  name  is  a  bit  misleading  —  a  lot  of  these  "notsos"  are  genuine 
Amazons.  A  blonde  in  red  sunglasses  made  a  particularly  strong  showing  Sunday, 
playing  at  least  two  and  a  half  positions  at  once,  base  coaching  the  rest,  and  in- 
timidating the  other  team's  pitcher  into  throwing  exclusively  to  her  feet  or  over  her 
head.  She  had  someone  else  do  her  running  for  her,  but  this  is  a  temporary  situation 
—  she  dropped  her  550cc  four-cylinder  Honda  on  her  leg  just  before  the  last  prac- 
tice, and  it  will  take  a  few  weeks  to  heal. 

Come  out  and  catch  a  few  games  —  and  a  few  rays  —  some  Sunday.  The  games 
are  free,  and  the  company  is  the  best  in  town.  Lee  Waldorf  □ 


Customs  seizure  case 
to  test  rights  charter 

OTTAWA  —  The  constitutionality  of  a 
portion  of  the  federal  Customs  Tariff  Act 
that  authorizes  customs  officers  to  seize 
material  they  deem  immoral  or  indecent 
has  been  upheld  by  an  Ontario  county 
court.  Jean-Louis  Cote,  an  Ottawa  writer 
and  translator  who  is  challenging  the  law, 
says  he  will  likely  appeal,  but  has  not 
made  a  final  decision. 

The  story  began  March  28,  1983, 
when  an  Ottawa  airport  customs  officer 
searched  Cote's  carry-on  bag  after  he 
debarked  from  a  flight  from  New  York. 
The  officer  found  and  seized  ten  erotic 
magazines  for  gay  men.  "The  whole 


thing  was  shocking,"  says  a  still  angry 
Cote.  "He  wanted  to  embarrass  me.  He 
held  up  the  magazines  for  the  whole 
crowd  to  see."  When  Cote  challenged 
the  officer,  he  was  told,  "My  word  is 
final  here."  It  was  only  with  great  diffi- 
culty that  he  secured  a  receipt  for  the 
magazines  and  the  information  that  the 
seizure  could  be  appealed. 

Cote  filed  an  appeal  and  received  a 
notice  from  the  Department  of  National 
Revenue  dated  April  29  informing  him 
that  two  of  the  magazines  would  be 
returned  to  him,  while  the  other  eight 
were  found  to  be  "correctly  classified  as 
immoral  and  indecent." 

Cote  decided  to  take  the  matter  to 
court.  Joseph  Magnet,  a  professor  of 
law  at  the  University  of  Ottawa,  took 
the  case,  which  was  heard  December  1 
by  Ontario  county  court  judge  D  L 


Mc  William. 

Instead  of  challenging  the  finding  that 
the  eight  magazines  are  immoral  and  in- 
decent, Magnet  argued  that  Item 
99201-1  of  Schedule  C  of  the  Customs 
Tariff  Act,  which  prohibits  the  importa- 
tion of  material  "of  an  immoral  or  inde- 
cent character,"  contravenes  Section 
2(b)  of  the  Charter  of  Rights  and  Free- 
doms. The  section  sets  forth  "freedom 
of  thought,  belief,  opinion  and  expres- 
sion, including  freedom  of  the  press  and 
other  media  of  communication"  as  a 
fundamental  freedom,  "subject  only  to 
such  reasonable  limits  prescribed  by  law 
as  can  be  demonstrably  justified  in  a  free 
and  democratic  society." 

Magnet  maintained  that  the  vague 
terms  "immoral"  and  "indecent"  fail  to 
meet  the  constitutional  requirement  that 
limits  be  prescribed  by  law,  since  a 
citizen  cannot  determine  with  certainty 
what  is  deemed  immoral  or  indecent. 

In  his  decision,  released  May  15,  1984, 
McWilliam  acknowledged  that  the  eight 
magazines  depicted  "explicit  homosex- 
ual acts  and  virtually  nothing  else."  But 
he  ruled  that  the  words  "immoral"  and 
"indecent"  do  have  a  meaning,  deriva- 
ble from  the  community  standard  of  tol- 
erance and  that,  therefore,  their  use  in  a 
law  does  constitute  prescription  by  law. 


"Judge  McWilliam's  view  appears  to 
be,  in  practice,  that  tolerance  applies 
only  to  a  certain  number  of  things  that 
already  enjoy  wide  public  sanction," 
says  Cote.  "Why  did  our  government 
see  fit  to  drag  the  Queen  out  in  the  rain 
to  sign  the  Charter  of  Rights  in  1982?  If 
we  really  needed  for  our  freedom  no 
other  guarantee  than  community  toler- 
ance, then  hadn't  we  Canadians  already 
enjoyed  that  for  over  a  hundred  years?" 

Magnet  describes  the  case  as  "very 
clean"  and  regards  the  judgment  as 
highly  appealable.  "This  law  gives  arbi- 
trary and  unlimited  discretion  to  border 
guards,"  he  says.  "It's  arbitrary,  irra- 
tional and  chaotic  and  cannot  be  consid- 
ered a  limit  prescribed  by  law." 

So  far,  the  costs  of  pursuing  the  case 
have  been  borne  by  both  Cote  and 
Magnet.  Readers  are  invited  to  send 
donations  or  letters  of  support  to  The 
Body  Politic  Fund,  Box  7289,  Stn  A, 
Toronto,  Ontario  M5W 1X9.  Please 
make  cheques  payable  to  "Lynn  King  in 
trust  for  Cote."  (The  directors  of  the 
former  Body  Politic  Free  the  Press  Fund 
have  agreed  that  money  collected  by  the 
fund  can  now  be  applied  to  other  censor- 
ship cases.) 

Cote  has  until  July  15  to  appeal. 

Ken  Popert,  TorontoD 


Complacency  threatens  AIDS  group 


TORONTO  —  The  AIDS  Committee  of 
Toronto  (ACT)  outdid  itself  during  AIDS 
Awareness  Week,  June  4  to  June  10, 
organizing  an  ambitious  slate  of  four 
public  forums,  a  press  conference,  open 
houses  and  four  benefit  bar  nights. 

The  forums,  held  on  consecutive 
nights,  were  entitled  "AIDS:  an  Update 
for  Health  Personnel,"  "The  New 
Virus:  What  the  Discovery  Means," 
"Women  Talking  about  AIDS,"  and 
"Hemophilia  —  How  it  Concerns  us 
All."  Featured  speakers  included  Dr 
Alastair  Clayton,  director-general  of  the 
Laboratory  Centre  for  Disease  Control, 
National  Advisory  Committee  on  AIDS 
chair  Dr  Norbert  Gilmore,  Provincial 
Advisory  Committee  on  AIDS  chair  Dr 
Mary  Fanning,  and  US  gay  health  col- 
umnist Nathan  Fain. 

Although  the  June  5  forum  advertised 


"the  new  virus,"  as  its  theme,  surpris- 
ingly little  was  said  about  either 
the  virus  or  its  implications.  Dr  Gilmore 
cautioned  that  although  the  discovery  of 
the  virus  and  a  blood  test  to  detect  it  is 
encouraging,  the  blood  test  measures 
antibodies  only,  and  thus  cannot  deter- 
mine whether  a  person  is  currently  infec- 
tious or  was  infected  in  the  past  but  has 
now  recovered. 

"Women  and  AIDS,"  held  June  6, 
featured  health  activist  Anne  Rochon 
Ford,  who  drew  parallels  between  the 
media  and  public  response  to  AIDS  and 
the  response  to  certain  feminist  health 
issues.  AIDSupport  member  Linda  Boyd 
felt  the  forum  was  valuable  because 
"many  women  don't  realize  the  ways  in 
which  AIDS  affects  their  lives,  regardless 
of  sexual  orientation,  or  the  ways  they 
can  help  the  lives  of  other  people  it  af- 


Chilling 
indifference? 

Mayor  Eggleton  plays  politics 
with  AIDS  Awareness  Week 

If  poor  attendance  at  AIDS  Awareness 
Week  events  indicated  the  need  for  greater 
public  awareness  of  AIDS,  the  manner  in 
which  Toronto  mayor  Art  Eggleton 
declared  the  week  did  absolutely  nothing 
to  help.  Eggleton's  office  did  not  inform 
ACT  that  the  mayor  would  proclaim  the 
week  until  it  was  too  late  for  the  informa- 
tion to  be  used  in  attendance-building 
publicity. 

Although  ACT  submitted  its  request  for 
an  official  proclamation  April  12,  it  was 
only  on  June  1  that  the  organization  got 
an  answer,  too  late  to  place  the  newspaper 
advertisement  they  had  planned. 

At  the  June  4  press  conference  that 
opened  the  Week,  ACT  chairperson 
Michael  Lynch  castigated  Eggleton.  "Al- 
though he  knew  this  week  was  supported 
by  federal,  provincial  and  city  health 
authorities,  Mayor  Eggleton  delayed.... 
His  evasion  of  leadership  shows  irrational 
fear  and  callous  insensitivity,"  said 
Lynch. 


Earlier,  ACT  officer  manager  Karsten 
Kossmann  spoke  more  pointedly:  "He  de- 
layed until  the  last  minute  to  avoid  having 
his  support  made  public  and  still  be  able 
to  claim  political  advantage  for  having 
done  it." 

Imants  Purvs,  Eggleton's  administra- 
tion assistant,  described  Kossmann's  alle- 
gation as  "unworthy  of  comment"  and 
said  there  was  nothing  unusual  in  the  last- 
minute  issuance  of  the  proclamation. 

However,  Anne  Moon,  public-relations 
coordinator  for  the  Toronto  health  de- 
partment, told  TBP  her  department  had 
learned  from  the  mayor's  office  that  he 
would  declare  AIDS  Awareness  Week  "at 
least  ten  days"  before  June  4.  She  sug- 
gested the  failure  to  inform  ACT  was  the 
result  of  a  "communication  breakdown." 
It  is  also  possible  that  the  imminent  depar- 
ture of  special  assistant  David  Goyette 
from  the  mayor's  office  contributed  to  the 
information  blackout. 

But  the  absence  of  any  expression  ot 
regret  by  Eggleton  over  the  delay  and  its 
effects  points  to  two  unpleasant  alterna- 
tive conclusions:  an  effort  to  educate  the 
public  and  the  especially  affected  group- 
about  a  wasting  and  lethal  disease  was 
damaged  either  a-  a  matter  of  deliberate 
policy  or  as  the  outcome  of  chilling 
indifference.  Ken  Popert 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY/AUGUST  1984  □  13 


la  Betfn'E    irdestal 

lishm.  ■  I  41  I  :.mer 

Vacation  Tips 

By  Buck' n' Beau 

Fire  Island  Pines 
made  easy 

Why  stay  in  a  hotel? 

Canadians  are  finding  out  European 
style  pensions  are  the  best  value. 
A  pension  is  a  private  house  where  you  pay 
to  sleep  and  eat,  Bed'n' Board,  where  your 
travel  dollar  gets  you  twice  the  vacation  time 
that  you'd  get  staying  m  a  hotel  and  eating  at 
restaurants  And  at  a  pension  you'll  get  a 
bonus;  you'll  meet  alot  of  people  who  are 
like  yourself 

Buck'n  Beau's  Bed'n' Board 

Suddenly  everyone's  visiting  the  Pines 
because  you  find  luxury  rooms  and  a 
special  feeling  of  friendship  here,"  says  Mr 
Kahn  about  his  house,  which  is  limited  by 
local  residential  zoning  laws  to  four  paying 
guests  at  a  time. 

Buck'n' Beau's  house  at  161  Ocean  Wk. 
offers  you  a  view  of  the  beach  and  has 
health  promoting  facilities  like  a  swimming 
pool  and  an  indoor  hot-tub,  which  is  a  great 
place  for  guests  to  socialize.  The  "Sunnse 
Cabin"  and  its  spotless  bathroom  costs  only 
$50  Single  or  $75  Double  occupancy. 

It's  eating  that's  believing 

One  cannot  think  well,  love  well,  sleep 
well,  if  one  has  not  dined  well"  Vir 
gmia  Woolf  would  have  loved  Emil,  Buck'n' 
Beau's  cook  From  his  kitchen  comes  won- 
derful Summery  buffets.  For  $25  you'll  get 
three  meals  a  day  and  be  spared  shopping 
and  cooking 

You're  free  to  spend  your  days  sunning 
on  the  beach,  secure  in  the  certainty  that  at 
mealtimes  all  you'll  have  to  do  is  relax  with  a 
group  of  good  friends  and  enjoy  the  plea 
sures  of  dining  well 

For  a  free  color  brochure  call  Mr.  Kahn 
at  (212)  243-1468 
or  (516)  597-6833 


Cut  out  and  mail  today! 

Buck'n' Beau's  Bed'n' Board 
315  W.  23rd  St.  N.Y..  NY.  10011 

■ 
"Vacationing  at  Fire  Island  Pines'' 


Name 

Address 

City 


State 


Zip 


Buck'n'  Beau's  Bed'n'  Board 


1 


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Longhouse  Books,  630  Yonge 

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Yonge  &  Queen's  Quay 

World's  Biggest  Bookstore 

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EAST  TORONTO 

Cambridge  Tuck  Shop 

50  Cambridge 

Garfield,  Gerrard  Square. 

Gerrard  &  Pape 

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Reading  Centre,  621  W  Pender 

Manhattan  Books,  1081  Robson 

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fects."  To  date,  eleven  women  in  Cana- 
da have  been  diagnosed  as  having  AIDS. 

Despite  the  wide  range  of  topics  and 
speakers,  the  forums  drew  disappoint- 
ingly small  audiences.  The  panels  on 
hemophilia,  women,  and  health-care 
personnel  attracted  less  than  40  people 
each,  while  the  forum  aimed  at  the  gay 
community  drew  only  175  people. 

The  low  attendance  figures  reflect  the 
declining  interest  in  AIDS  among  gay 
men  over  the  past  year.  Although  the 
number  of  AIDS  cases  continues  to 
climb,  and  significant  medical  discover- 
ies have  been  made,  AIDS  no  longer  in- 
spires the  fear  and  intense  interest  it  did 
a  year  ago. 

The  reason  may  be  that  gay  men  (and 
the  general  community  as  well)  have 
simply  gotten  used  to  AIDS  and,  reas- 
sured by  the  slow  rate  of  increase,  have 
become  complacent.  The  media,  too, 
have  lost  interest,  and  with  AIDS  rarely 
making  headlines  any  more,  the  issue 
seems  less  important. 

Then  there  is  ACT's  role,  which  has 
been  to  downplay  the  sense  of  crisis, 
concentrating  on  defusing  panic  and 
promoting  an  informed,  rational  ap- 
proach. In  the  process,  however,  con- 
cern about  AIDS  seems  to  have  been 
defused  as  well,  and  the  organization 
has  been  unable  to  maintain  the  com- 
munity support  it  gained  last  year. 

The  flagging  interest  could  not  have 
come  at  a  worse  time,  for  ACT  is  now 
facing  a  major  funding  crisis.  ACT's 
core  funding  for  1983-84,  a  grant  of 
some  $65,000  for  the  COED  project,  a 
federal-provincial  make-work  pro- 
gramme, ends  June  30,  with  no  new 
funding  source  in  sight.  "All  three  levels 
of  government  have  told  us  to  look  else- 
where for  renewed  core  funding,"  said 
ACT  office  manager  Karsten  Kossmann. 
However,  St  George  MPP  Susan  Fish 
continues  to  lobby  for  the  organization, 
and  ACT  chair  Michael  Lynch  expresses 
hopes  that  provincial  health  minister 
Keith  Norton  will  come  through  with 
financial  support. 

"ACT  managed  to  raise  one-third  of 
its  $100,000  budget  last  year,  through 
fund-raising  in  the  gay  community," 
said  Kossmann,  "but  we  cannot  hope  to 
support  an  office,  staff  salaries,  phone 
lines  and  printing  costs  on  private  dona- 
tions alone."  If  the  group  does  not  re- 
ceive funding,  the  vital  role  ACT  plays  in 
community  education,  phone  counsel- 
ling and  monitoring  media  reporting  on 
AIDS  will  have  to  be  taken  over  by  other 
community  groups. 

Susan  Fish  has  called  ACT  "a  model 
information  centre  and  counselling  ser- 
vice that  is  referred  to  across  the  coun- 
try. Their  services  have  proved  invalu- 
able to  the  community."  But  counselling 
and  information  are  hard  to  measure, 
and  carry  little  weight  where  government 
funding  is  concerned.  If  the  media  were 
paying  more  attention,  and  if  the  num- 
ber of  AIDS  cases  had  increased  more 
rapidly  during  the  past  year  (as  they  may 
well  do  in  the  year  to  come),  provincial, 
federal  and  municipal  governments 
would  jump  at  the  chance  to  appear  to 
be  responding  to  a  public  crisis. 

Last  year,  the  Toronto  Health  Depart- 
ment's widely  acclaimed  risk-reduction 
poster  told  gay  men,  "Don't  play  the 
numbers  game."  But  when  it  comes  to 
funding  an  essential  public  service,  it 
seems  that  is  exactly  the  game  the  de- 
partment and  higher  government  levels 
are  playing.  Robert  Trow  □ 

Canadian  AIDS  update  (as  of  May  30,  1984): 
88  adult  cases  (77  males,  11  females),  of 
whom  40  are  alive  and  48  dead;  49  homosex- 
uals, 39  heterosexuals  or  unknown. 
Provincial  breakdown:  Quebec  41;  Ontario 
30;  British  Columbia  8;  Alberta  4;  Nova 
Scotia  2;  Manitoba,  Newfoundland  and 
Saskatchewan,  all  I  each. 


14  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY/AUGUST  1984 


COPWATCH 

GLENN  WHEELER 


Antagonists  and  apologists 


All  across  Canada  (everywhere  in  the 
world!)  people  have  trouble  with  the 
police.  In  Halifax,  cops  harass  gay  men 
cruising  the  Triangle  and  keep  silent 
about  rapes  in  the  well-to-do  areas  of  the 
South  End  because,  says  Chief  Fitz  Fry, 
talking  about  it  would  lower  property 
values.  In  Regina,  the  police  send  their 
dogs  after  native  people.  In  Montreal, 
they  raid  gay  bars  and  charge  the  patrons 
with  being  found  in  a  common  bawdy- 
house.  And  everywhere,  it  seems,  cops 
prey  on  gay  men  in  washrooms,  tease 
them  and  trick  them  into  grabbing  a  feel. 

It  was  public  dissatisfaction  with  the 
Metro  Toronto  police  that  led  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  Citizens'  Independent  Re- 
view of  Police  Activities.  CIRPA  is  a  com- 
munity group  that  receives  complaints 
about  the  police,  processes  them  and  uses 
them  to  make  recommendations  on  pol- 
icing in  Toronto. 

It  was  the  public  outcry  over  the 
shooting  of  Albert  Johnson,  a  black  man, 
in  1979  and  the  bath  raids  in  1981  that 
resulted  in  the  creation  of  CIRPA.  No 
other  city  in  Canada  has  an  organization 
like  it.  Perhaps  there's  a  different  pol- 
itical climate  in  Toronto.  Or  perhaps  it's 
because  the  bath  raids  in  1981  resulted  in 
more  arrests  —  more  than  300  —  than 
any  other  single  police  action  in  Canada. 

Toronto  also  has  Richard  Ericson,  who 
teaches  in  the  Centre  of  Criminology  at 
the  University  of  Toronto,  and  Maeve 
McMahon,  a  graduate  student  at  the  cen- 
tre. Ericson  has  become  the  darling  of  the 
crime  scene  in  Canada,  and  for  good  rea- 
son. He's  a  good  criminologist  because  he 
doesn't  always  take  the  side  of  the  police. 
Among  his  books  is  Reproducing  Order: 
A  Study  of  Police  Patrol  Work,  a  text- 
book that's  fun  to  read. 

Ericson  and  McMahon  have  also  stud- 
ied CIRPA.  The  result  is  Policing  Reform: 
A  Study  of  the  Reform  Process  and  Po- 
lice Institution  in  Toronto.  Their  thesis  is 
that  CIRPA  has  changed  from  being  an 
antagonistic  opponent  of  the  police  to  be- 
ing a  supplicant,  taking  up  the  police 
discourse  and  being  more  concerned 
about  its  own  welfare  than  it  is  about  the 
victims  of  police  abuse,  who  provide  its 
bread  and  butter.  They  also  claim  that 
CIRPA  has  lost  its  credibility  with  visible 
minorities  because  it's  dominated  by 
white,  middle-class  men,  including  a  dis- 
proportionate number  of  gay  men.  "Visi- 
ble minority  group  involvement  is  mini- 
mal, while  the  representation  and  in- 
volvement of  gay  community  members  is 
very  high,"  they  write. 

Now,  it's  true  that  CIRPA  has  changed 
in  the  past  few  years,  but  Ericson  paints  a 
picture  of  the  organization  being  co- 
opted  by  the  police  because  of  personal 
failings  on  the  part  of  its  members.  "Re- 
form groups  rarely  take  the  time  to  sys- 
tematically and  self-critically  address 
basic  questions  as  to  their  reason  for  be- 
ing and  the  implications  of  their  exis- 
tence," they  say.  But  CIRPA  and  the  po- 
lice institution  don't  exist  in  the  world  by 
themselves.  It's  interesting  that  Ericson 
and  McMahon  never  talk  about  the  de- 
gree to  which  organizations  like  CIRPA 
rely  on  the  media.  If  you  don't  get  your 
name  in  the  paper  and  on  the  evening 
news,  then  you  cease  to  be  a  going  con- 
cern. Volunteers  don't  join  and  people 
stop  giving  money.  Unlike  the  police  in- 
stitution, CIRPA  has  to  worry  about  pay- 


ing its  phone  bill.  The  media  have  a  short 
attention  span,  and  if  CIRPA  kept  saying 
the  same  thing  at  police-commission 
meetings,  assignment  editors  might  get 
the  impression  that  there's  no  news.  That 
would  be  disastrous. 

Then  there's  the  gay  thing.  "According 
to  some  young  complainants  from  the 
Scarborough  party  (where  police  were 
videotaped  by  CITY-TV  as  they  banged 
their  batons  over  the  heads  of  party- 
goers),  the  perception  of  CIRPA  as  a  gay 
organization  also  dissuaded  some  of  the 
other  youths  at  the  party  from  going  to 
CIRPA,"  writes  Ericson.  Perhaps  the 
people  at  the  party  who  were  beaten  up 
by  the  police  and  didn't  ask  for  CIRPA's 
help  felt  differently  when  those  who  did 
go  to  CIRPA  got  financial  compensation. 

It's  true  that  the  number  of  gay  men  in- 
volved in  CIRPA  is  disproportionately 
high,  but  then  the  number  of  complaints 
we  lodge  againt  the  cops  is  probably  dis- 
proportionately high,  too.  And  no  politi- 
cal group  has  been  able  to  replicate  in  its 
ranks  the  proportion  of  races  that  exists 
in  the  real  world.  Not  feminist  groups, 
not  The  Body  Politic,  not  the  Tory  party. 
So  why  should  CIRPA  be  singled  out? 

Have  Ericson  and  McMahon  simply 
made  mistakes?  Or  are  they  homophobic? 

• 
Ontario's  Attorney-General  Roy 
McMurtry  —  proving  once  again  that 
he's  the  most  reliable  apologist  Toronto 
cops  will  ever  have  —  has  suddenly  be- 
come concerned  about  the  quality  of  tele- 
vision coverage  at  the  Grange  royal  com- 
mission, which  is  investigating  what  some 
say  are  the  suspicious  deaths  of  babies  at 
the  Hospital  for  Sick  Children  in  Toron- 
to. The  attorney-general  says  the  cover- 
age has  given  "a  dramatic  wrong  impres- 
sion" of  what  has  taken  place,  having 
concentrated  on  the  testimony  of  nurses 
rather  than  of  doctors.  He  says  the  TV 
coverage  has  been  "sensational"  and 
"one-sided,"  and  warns  journalists  that  it 
was  this  kind  of  coverage  that  led  to 
rioting  in  black  sections  of  Miami. 

Now,  you  might  say  it's  the  A-G's  job 
to  speak  out  when  there's  been  a  miscar- 
riage of  justice,  which  is  what  the  Grange 
commission  inquiry  is.  You  might  even 
forgive  McMurtry  for  misrepresenting  the 
Miami  riots,  for  not  knowing  that  it  was 
poverty  and  police  brutality  that  led  to 
frustration  and  violence.  After  all,  they 
don't  teach  class  analysis  at  Upper 
Canada  College. 

But  it's  the  timing  of  McMurtry's  cau- 
tion that  reveals  his  real  motive.  He 
didn't  open  his  mouth  during  the  two 
weeks  that  Phyllis  Trayner,  a  nurse,  was 
being  badgered  by  police  lawyer  Doug 
Hunt.  Tried  and  convicted  on  coast-to- 
coast  television. 

But  you  see,  the  commission  is  only 
now  getting  around  to  examining  the 
police  investigation  of  the  deaths.  In  the 
next  phase  of  the  inquiry,  we'll  hear  how 
the  cops  charged  nurse  Susan  Nelles  with 
four  counts  of  murder,  apparently  on  no 
other  evidence  than  that  she  didn't  cry 
when  babies  died,  and  that  she  asked  for 
her  lawyer  to  be  present  when  she  was 
questioned.  And  about  how  the  cops 
tricked  and  cajoled  nurses  into  implicat- 
ing their  fellow  nurses  in  the  baby  deaths. 

If  you  think  the  TV  coverage  has  been 
sensational  so  far  —  stay  tuned.  The  best 
is  yet  to  come.  □ 


BOOK 
US 

UP- 


P.f\leerfi 


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is  expanding  our  lending  library  to  include  an  ex- 
tensive gay  and  lesbian  section.  To  make  this 
possible,  we  need  your  contributions  of  new  and 
used  books.  We  are  hoping  to  open  the  new  section 

in  late  September. 

Bring  your  book  donations  to  the  Centre  recep- 
tion area  (519  Church  St)  or  you  can  call  Penny 
Lamy  at  923-2778  to  arrange  pick-up. 


This  ad  was  made  possible  through  a  grant  from  the 
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THE  BODY  POLITIC  Ll  JULY  /AUGUST  1984  □  15 


WINDSOR: 
AWARENESS  IS  A 
TRICKY  THING 


"One  of  these  days  some  lunatic's  gonna 
come  into  the  bar  and  shoot  someone," 
worries  Windsor  activist  Bob  Christmas, 
echoing  the  fears  of  some  of  his  friends  at 
JP's,  the  local  watering  hole  where  he 
works  part-time.  He  thinks  the  city's  Gay 
Awareness  Week  was  problematic 
because  it  got  too  much  publicity. 

He  and  Jim  Monk  work  on  the  gay 
radio  show  "Closets  Are  For  Clothes," 
and  the  three  of  us  were  having  coffee 
after  finishing  the  June  3  edition  of  the 
show,  which  recapitulated  some  of  the 
highlights  of  the  week  during  which  I  was 
a  guest  on  a  panel  discussing  pornogra- 
phy. It's  an  age-old  debate  in  our  move- 
ment. The  more  we  seem  to  gain  the  more 
we  are  seen  to  risk:  is  it  really  worth  it  to 
rock  the  boat?  But  for  a  city  of  192,000, 
Windsor  has  a  well-developed  gay  com- 
munity with  fairly  sophisticated  leader- 
ship. This  discussion  has  a  somewhat  dif- 
ferent significance  in  1984  than  it  might 
have  in  1974. 

Fifty  years  ago  JP's  was  a  working- 
class  bar  with  a  clientele  whose  sexuality 
was  obvious  only  to  those  whose  eyes 
were  trained  to  see  it.  During  the  war,  it 
was  ro  doubt  populated  by  women  get- 
ting their  first  crack  at  jobs  and  indepen- 
dence in  this  industrial  town.  But  by 
1974,  with  the  formation  of  the  Windsor 
Homophile  Association,  a  Windsorite 
just  coming  out  didn't  need  nearly  as 
many  special  skills  to  connect  with  others 
of  his  or  her  own  kind.  By  March  17, 
1977  the  group,  which  had  changed  its 
name  to  Windsor  Gay  Unity,  persuaded 
their  local  council  to  make  Windsor  the 
third  Canadian  city  to  ban  discrimination 
against  its  own  gay  employees. 

Until  this  year's  gay-awareness  project, 
one  of  the  community's  most  public 
events  was  a  province-wide  conference 
called  "Never  Going  Back!"  organized 
by  Gay  Unity  in  1979.  Five  years  later 
there's  plenty  of  evidence  that  they  meant 
it,  in  spite  of  some  close  calls.  In  1982,  for 
instance,  Gay  Unity  dissolved,  but  it  was 
quickly  replaced  by  the  Lesbian /Gay 
Community  Services  Group  (LGCSG), 
which  this  year  produced  Windsor's  first 
Gay  Awareness  Week. 

Last  November  an  organizing  commit- 
tee, involving  only  a  dozen  people  at  the 
most,  began  planning  the  events  to  raise 
two  different  types  of  awareness:  within 
the  gay  community  and  among  straight 
people  (including  those  who  don't  yet 
know  or  accept  that  they  are  gay). 

The  committee  worked  effectively 
through  the  media.  Since  they  couldn't 
afford  to  advertise  on  city  buses,  the 
group  opted  for  free  publicity.  They  sent 
spokesperson  Jim  Monk  and  past  chair 
Barry  Adam  to  ask  city  council  to  offici- 
ally declare  the  week  —  knowing  they 
wouldn't  get  it  but  gambling  that  it  would 
be  worth  it  anyway.  The  gamble  paid  off. 
Council's  denial  of  the  proposal  as 
"dangerous  propaganda"  that  would 
promote  the  spread  of  AIDS,  spurred  on 
by  denunciations  from  the  president  of 
the  county  medical  society  and  a  col- 
league, was  picked  up  by  all  five  local 
radio  stations  and  was  the  lead  item  on 
local  TV  news  two  nights  in  a  row. 
Adam,  a  sociology  professor  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Windsor,  was  in  the  news  again 
when,  on  behalf  of  the  group,  he  de- 


NETWORK 


manded  that  the  Canadian  Medical  Asso- 
ciation take  disiplinary  action  against  the 
doctors.  These  incidents  —  and  the 
events  of  the  week  itself  —  resulted  in 
nine  radio  broadcasts  (including  a  three- 
hour  live  phone-in  show),  three  TV  inter- 
views, four  high-school  speaking  engage- 
ments and  six  articles  in  the  Windsor 
Star.  The  Star  also  printed  a  profile  of 
Monk  that  was  carried  by  the  Canadian 
Press  news  wire  service. 

The  Star  profile  brought  at  least  one 
person  out  of  the  closet  and  to  the  events 
during  Awareness  Week.  "If  he  could  do 
it,"  said  Bonny,  an  enthusiastic  and 
charming  woman  in  her  early  forties, 
"then  so  could  I." 

It  won't  be  as  easy  for  her  as  it  might 
be  for  a  man.  While  gay  men  and  lesbians 
have  long  socialized  in  the  same  places, 
JP's  is  as  mixed  as  it  is  because  the  bar 
that  used  to  cater  mostly  to  men  went 
bankrupt.  And  the  movement's  greatest 
weakness  here  has  been  its  inability  to 
keep  women  involved  long  enough  that 
they  might  provide  each  other  with  the 
social  incentive  to  stay  involved. 

The  city's  quite  a  different  place  to 
come  out  in  now  than  it  was  a  decade 
ago,  when  Jim  Monk  did  it.  That  was 
before  he  helped  to  launch  LGCSG's 
predecessor.  "You  once  had  to  really 
search  for  the  community  here,"  he 
recalls,  "now  you  just  have  to  look  in  the 
phone  book."  In  that  sense,  coming  out 
is  easier  now.  But  not  everyone  takes  ad- 
vantage of  Windsor's  community. 
Detroit  is  just  across  the  river  —  an  inter- 
national border  —  and  offers  more  gay 
bars  than  the  Canadian  city.  Closeted 
Windsorites  cross  the  river  to  socialize  in 
safety.  Canadians  who  socialize  in  their 
own  country  —  at  JP's  —  tend  to  be  a 
pretty  "out"  bunch.  And  yes,  there  are 
factors  that  make  it  riskier  to  be  out. 
Fears  about  publicity  are  based  on  real 
experiences,  such  as  queer-bashing. 

But  any  bid  for  freedom  requires  tak- 
ing risks.  "Just  because  the  better 
organized  and  more  visible  we  become, 
the  greater  our  vulnerability  to  attack, 
doesn't  mean  we  shouldn't  get  organized," 
says  Monk.  We'll  never  be  available  to 
those  who  need  us  most  if  we  don't  keep 
a  high  profile."  And  things  like  the 
United  Church  and  AIDS  keep  homosex- 
uality in  the  headlines  "whether  we're 
saying  anything  or  not." 

One  small  consolation  —  it  was  two 
years  of  fielding  press  inquiries  that 
sharpened  LGCSG's  media  skills  and  en- 
abled the  group  to  make  Awareness  Week 
the  success  it  was.  Discussions  were  well- 
attended  and  of  a  high  calibre.  An 
Awareness  Week  panel  on  gay  health  con- 
cerns, which  focussed  mainly  on  AIDS, 
was  the  best-attended  of  the  series,  draw- 
ing a  crowd  of  50  people.  The  seminar 
also  revealed  some  of  the  pressures  and 
contradictions  this  community  faces, 
sometimes,  in  the  process,  demonstrating 
exactly  how  necessary  Awareness  Week 
was. 

Unfortunately,  Detroit's  gay  leader- 
ship is  less  sophisticated  than  LGCSG,  or 
even  than  Dr  Helena  Jacyk  of  Windsor's 
STD  clinic.  Members  of  Detroit's  AIDS 
support  group,  Wellness  Network  Incor- 
porated, tended  to  present  a  moralistic, 
anti-sex  view  of  AIDS.  It  would  be  easier 
for  the  movement  to  raise  community 
awareness  if  its  attempts  to  do  so  were 
not  so  effectively  undermined  by  some  of 
its  own  members.  But  the  nay-sayers  are 
attracting  attention  and  support  from  the 
gay  community.  For  example,  some 
Windsorites  indicated  they  wouldn't  at- 
tend the  panel  on  AIDS  because  one  parti- 


cipant would  be  a  person  with  AIDS.  If 
that's  how  we  treat  each  other,  wondered 
someone  who  went,  how  can  we  expect 
any  better  from  straights? 

"It's  more  accurate  to  measure 
people's  consciousness  by  their  deeds 
than  by  words  that  may  only  represent 
what  they  think  they  should  say,"  says 
Monk.  His  length  of  service  gives  him  a 
long  view.  "Look  at  Bob  Christmas,  for 
example,"  he  says.  "He  expresses  the 
fear  that  Awareness  Week  got  too  much 
attention  and  yet  he  devotes  a  lot  of  time 
to  broadcasting  a  gay  radio  show  and  go- 
ing to  talk  to  kids  in  high-school  classes. 
Which  speaks  louder,  his  words  or  his 
actions?"  Chris  Bearchelin 

BI/  NATIONAL 

i  'Alcoholics  Anonymous.  International  Advisory  Council  lor  Homo- 
sexual Men  and  Women,  Box  492.  Village  Stn.  New  York.  NY 
10014 

[  1  Atlantic  Lesbian  and  Gay  Association/Association  des  Lesbi- 
ennes  el  des  gaies  de  I'Atlantique.  contact  GAE  (Halifax).  FLAG 
(Fredencton)  or  Northern  Lambda  NorrJ  (Western  NB). 

□  Bisexuals  International.  Box  107.  2039  Walnut  St.  Philadelphia, 
PN  19103,  USA.  (215)  634-6244.  Sun-Fri.  11  pm-3am 

□  Canadian  Gay  Archives,  Box  639,  Stn  A,  Toronto,  ON  M5W  1G2 
(416)364-2759 

1  IDignity/Canada/Dignite.  Box  1912,  Winnipeg.  MB  R3C  3R2. 
(204)  772-4322. 

'Foundation  lor  the  Advancement  of  Canadian  Transsexuals,  Box 
291 .  Stn  A.  Hamilton.  ON  L8N  3C8  (416)  529-7884  SW  Ontario: 
Ms  R  M  Schwartzentruber,  21  Cherry  St.  Kitchener,  ON  N2G  2C5 
(519)576-5248. 

□  Gay  Interest  Group,  Canadian  Library  Association.  Box  1912. 
Winnipeg.  MBR3C3R2. 

n International  Gay  Association.  International  Secretariat,  c/o 
RFSL.  Box  350,  S-101  24  Sweden,  ph:  46-8-848050/845576.  Ac- 
tion Secretariat  and  Women's  Secretariat,  c/o  NVIH  COC,  Rozen- 
straat  1, 1016  NX  Amsterdam,  The  Netherlands  ph 
31-20-234596. 

International  Lesbian  Information  Service  (IDS).  Box  45,  00251 
Helsinki  25,  Finland,  ph  358-0-635571 

Ligo  de  Samseksamai  Geesperantistoj,  gay  Esperanto  organiza- 
tion. 100  Crerar  Ave,  Ottawa.  ON  K1Z  7P2. 

New  Democratic  Party  Gay  Caucus,  Box  792.  Stn  F,  Toronto.  ON 
M4Y  2N7 

n  North  American  Transvestite-Transsexual  Contact  Service.  Box 
3,  Athens.  Ohio 45701.  USA  (206)  624-8266. 

□  Section  on  Gay  and  Lesbian  Issues  in  Psychology,  c/o  Canadian 
Psychological  Association.  558  King  Edward  Ave.  Ottawa,  ON 
K1N  7N6 

□  Seventh-day  Adventist  Kinship  International.  Inc.  c/o  Jeremy 
Young,  Box  408.  Stn  C,  Toronto.  ON  M6J  3P5. 

□Women's  Archives,  Box  928,  Stn  0.  Toronto.  ON  M4T  2P1 

BRITISH  COLUMBIA 

Provincial 

□  AFFIRM:  Gays  and  Lesbians  of  the  United  Church  in  BC.  Box 

46586.  Stn  G,  Vancouver  V6R  4G8.  (604)  324-3902.  Support 
group  and  educational  resources. 


Kamloops 


r  JThompson  Area  Gay  Group.  Box  3343,  V2C6B9  Welcomes 
women  and  men  to  regular  meetings,  discussions,  social  events. 
Into,  newsletter,  peer  support,  friendship 

Kelowna 

Okanagan  Gay  Organization  Mutual  support  The  group  can  be 
contacted  directly  by  phone  through  the  Kelowna  Crisis  Centre. 
(604)  763-8008. 

Port  Alberni 

□  To  contact  the  local  group,  write  c/o  Mr  Trevor  Kelly,  201-4204 
China  Creek  Rd.  Port  Alberni.  BC  V9Y  1R1  (604)  724-4914. 
Counselling,  companionship 


Port  Hardy 


1   North  Island  Gay  and  Lesbian  Support  and  Information  Group, 

Box  1404.  Port  Hardy.  BC,  VON  2P0. 


Prince  Rupert 


Gay  People  of  Prince  Rupert  Box  881 .  V8J  3Y1 . 
(604)  624-4982  (eve). 

Revelstoke 

Lothlorien.  Box  8557.  Sub  1 ,  V0E  3G0  Info,  friendship, 
hospitality 

Terrace 

Northern  Lesbians  RR2  Box  50,  Usk  Store,  V8G3Z9 

Vancouver 

AIDS  Vancouver,  c/o  19th  II,  355  Burrard  St,  V6C  2J3.  Ph 
[604)687-AIDS 

I  'Alcoholics  Anonymous  (Gay).  (604)  733-4590  (men).  (604) 
929-2585  (women). 

Archives  Collective.  Box  3130.  MPO.  V6B  3X6 

Bisexual  Women's  Group  Monthly  meetings  Call  Joyce  at 
251-6090 

Coming  Out  (Gay  Radio)  c/o  Vancouver  Cooperative  Radio.  337 
Carrall  St.  V6B  2J4  Thursat?  30  pm.  102  7MHzFM 

Congregation  Sha'ar  Hayam  Jewish  gay  synagogue.  Box 
69406.  V5K  4W6  (604)  255-1076 

Oaughters  Unlimited.  Joyce  (604)  251-6090  (Plans  to  open  a 
women's  club.) 

Oignity/Vancouver  Box30t6.  V6B3X5  (604)684-7810. 


□  Oogwood  Monarchist  Society,  303-1150  Burnaby  St.  V6E  1P2 

□  English  Bay  Swim  Club,  c/o  4249  Birchwood  Crescent.  Burnaby 
V5H  4E6  Meets  Thurs.  6  pm  at  Vancouver  Acquatic  Centre.  Info. 
(604) 433-8000 (Ken) or  669-6696 (Roy) 

□  Frontrunners  (running/jogging)  Call  Erik  (604)  687-3238  or 
Rick  (604)  590-4665 

□  Gay  and  Lesbian  Caucus  of  the  BC  NOP  (604)  669-5434 

□  The  Gay  Library,  1244  Seymour  St,  Box  2259  MPO,  Vancouver. 
BC  V6B  3W2  (604)  327-9883  or  688-1006 

Gay  Fathers  of  Vancouver,  Box  3785.  V6B  3Z1   (604)  688-6590 

□  Gay  Festival  Society,  Box  34397.  Stn  D.  V6J  4P3  (604) 
687-7129. 

□  Gay  Leisure  Link  (GLL).  Box  4662.  V6B  4A1 

□  Gay/Lesbian  Law  Association,  c/o  Law  Students  Assoc.  Faculty 
of  Law,  U  of  BC,  V6T  1W5  (604)  228-4638. 

□  Gay  Rights  Union,  Box  3130.  MPO.  V6B  3X6.  (604)  731-9605 

□  Gays  and  Lesbians  of  UBC.  Box  9.  Student  Union  Bldg.  U  of 
British  Columbia.  V6T  1W5  (604)  228-4638  Meets  Thurs  at 
12:30  pm  (see  The  Ubyssey  for  room). 

□  Gazebo  Connection  (business  &  professional  women's  group). 
382-810  W  Broadway.  V5Z  4C9  (604)  984-8744. 

□  Greater  Vancouver  Business  Association,  c/o  Owayne  Sullivan, 
941  Davie  St,  V6Z  1B9 

□  Integrity:  Gay  Anglicans  and  their  friends,  Box  34161 .  Stn  D. 
V6J4N1   (604)873-2925. 

□  Knights  of  Malta,  Dogwood  Chapter  Society,  Box  336-810  West 
Broadway,  V5Z  1J8. 

□  Lambda  (Gay  Al-Anon).  Joe  at  (604)  689-7681  or  Mike  at 
327-8423. 

□  Legal  Advice  Clinic.  1244  Seymour  St  (VGCC)  Mon,  7:30  pm 
Free  advice  and  referrals 

□  Lesbian  and  Feminist  Mothers'  Political  Action  Group,  Box 
65804.  Stn  F.  V5N  5L3   (604)  251-6090 

□  Lesbian  and  Gay  Health  Sciences  Association,  c/o  Gay  People  of 
UBC.  Box  9.  Student  Union  Bldg.  UBC.  V6T  1W5. 

□  Lesbian  Drop-In,  322  W  Hastings,  every  Wed,  7:30  pm. 
(604)  684-0523. 

□  Lesbian  Information  Line.  (604)  734-1016  Thurs,  Sun, 
7-10  pm. 

□  Lesbian  Feminist  Power  and  Trust  Association.  Consensual  S/M 
support,  education  and  action  group  Box  65868,  Stn  F,  V5L  5L3 

□  Lesbian  Mothers'  Defense  Fund,  Box  65804,  Stn  F,  V5N  5L3. 
(604)  255-6910.  Potluck  brunches  last  Sun  of  month 

□  The  Lesbian  Show.  Co-op  Radio.  337  Carrall  St,  V6B  2J4. 
102.7  MHz  FM,  Thurs.  8  30  pm. 

□  Metropolitan  Community  Church,  Box  5178.  V6B  4B2  (604) 
681-8525.  Services  Sun,  7:30  pm,  at  1811  W  16th  Ave  (at 
Burrard) 

□  Native  Cultural  Society  (gay  native  social  group),  c/o  H 
McGillivary,  1244  RobsonSt.  V6E  1C1.  (604)  688-2645. 

□  Pacific  Wave,  TV  show  by  gay  people  about  gay  life,  culture  and 
art.  Regular  monthly  and  special  programmes  837  Bidwell  St, 
V6G2J7.  (604)689-5661. 

□  Parents  and  Friends  ol  Gays  (604)  988-7786 

□  Rights  of  Lesbians ,  (Subcommittee  of  Federation  of  Women), 
Box  24687,  Stn  C.V5T4E6 

□  Rob  Joyce  Legal  Defense  Fund,  c/o  Gay  Rights  Union. 

□  SEARCH,  c/o  VGCC.  Info  and  counselling:  (604)  689-1039, 
7-10  pm. 

□  Sherwood  Forest,  non-profit  gay  introduction  service 
(604)  251-2789. 

□  Vancouver  Activists  in  S/M  (VASM).  call  George 
(604)  594-3632  or  Fred  (604)  685-7067  An  educational 
organization  with  a  monthly  newsletter. 

□  Vancouver  VD  Clinic,  Rm  100,  828  W  10th  Ave  (near  Gen  Hosp) 
(604)874-2331,  Ext  220. 

□  Vancouver  Gay  Athletic  Association,  c/o  1018  Burnaby  St 
(604)681-2424. 

□  Vancouver  Gay  Community  Centre.  1244  Seymour  St,  Box  2259, 
MPO,  V6B  3W2  (604)684-6869  Services,  programmes,  mag- 
azine 

□  Vancouver  Men's  Chorus,  1270  Chestnut  St.  V6J  4R9.  Rehear- 
sals every  Wed,  7:30  pm,  at  the  Vancouver  Academy  of  Music.  For 
information  phone  Kevin  at  (604)  731-1 779  or  Larry  at  734-8802 
□West  End  Softball  Association.  Box  161 ,  1018  Homer  St, 

V6B  4W9.  Call  Frank  Hamper  (604)  255-4410 

□West  End  Volleyball,  222-1500  Pendrell  St.  (604)  669-6696. 

:  Women  in  Focus,  204-456  W  Broadway,  V5Y  1R3. 

(604)  872-2250 

□  Young  Gay  People,  c/o  SEARCH. 

□  Younger  Lesbian  Drop-In  every  Sat.  3-5  pm  at  1349  Burrard. 

□  Zodiac  Fraternal  Society,  Box  33872,  Stn  0,  V6J  4L6 

Vernon 

□  Vernon  Alternative  Lifestyle,  RR6,  Site  17,  Comp19,  V1T  6Y5 

Victoria 

□  Alcoholics  Anonymous  (Gay).  (604)  383-9862 

□  Dignity  Victoria.  Box  845,  Stn  E,  V8W2R9  (604)385-1559. 

□  Feminist  Lesbian  Action  Group.  Box  1604,  Stn  E,  V8W  2X7. 

□  Gay  and  Lesbian  Organization  of  the  University  of  Victoria  (GL0), 
SUB.  Univof  Victoria,  Box  1700,  V8W  2Y2. 

□  Gay  Men's  Group.  2612  Victor  St,  V8R  1N3.  (604)  595-6782. 
The  Island  Gay  Community  Centre  Society,  305 -576  Simcoe  St. 

V8V  1L8.  (604)  389-1964  or  381-7662  (answering  service).  Gay 
cafe  at  1923  Fernwood  every  Thurs,  8-midnight 
1 1  Lesbians  Across  Canada  Correspondence  Association  Contact 
lesbians  for  correspondence  or  meetings  Inquiries  to:  S  O'Reilly, 
Box  1674.  Stn  E.  Victoria  V8W2Y1 

I  iNeed  (Victoria  Crisis  Lino),  (604)  383-6323.  24  hrs.  Some  gay 
info  available. 
Womyn's  Colfee  House.  1923  Fernwood  Every  Wed  evening 

West  Kootenay  region 

IWest  Kootenay  Gays  and  Lesbians,  Box  642,  Nelson  V1L  4K5 
Offering  friendship,  a  newsletter,  info  and  social  events  Potluck 
third  Sunday  of  month.  3-7  pm,  contact  Nelson  Community  Ser- 
vices Centre  (604)  352-3504  (24  hrs) 


ALBERTA 

Provincial 

Alberta  Lesbian  and  Gay  Rights  Association  (ALGRA).  Box  1852. 
Edmonton  T5J  2P2. 


Calgary 


Camp  181  Association.  Box  965,  Stn  T.  T2H  2H4  Dances, 
campouts.  sports  and  other  activities  for  lesbians  and  gays 
(   Calgary  Lambda  Centre  Society.  Box  357,  Stn  M,  T2P  2H9 

Dignity/Calgary,  Box  1492,  Stn  T,  T2H  2H7. 


16  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  D  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


DGay  Leisure  Link.  Non-challenging,  non-sexual  social  organiza- 
tion. Box  1812,  Sin  M,  T2P  2L8. 

OGay  Political  Action  Committee,  c/o  Box  2943,  Stn  M.  T2P  3C3 
Education  and  lobbying. 

D Imperial  Court  of  tho  Chinook  Arch,  (403)282-6393  Entertain- 
ments and  social  events 

DLesbian  Information  Line,  (403)  265-9458,  Tues-Fri,  8-10  pm, 
with  24  hr  answering  service.  Operated  by  Womyn's  Collective 
GLesbian  Mothers,  Lynn  at  (403)  264-6328  or  275-8362,  or  call 
LIL.  Potluck  first  Sun  of  each  month. 
DLesbian  Outreach  and  Support  Team,  Box  6093.  Stn  A, 
T2H  2L4. (403) 281-2895. 

Lesbians  and  Gays  at  University  ol  Calgary.  Students  Club, 
MacEwan  Hall,  U  of  Calgary,  T2N  1N4. 

□  Metropolitan  Community  Church,  204-16  Ave,  NW,  T2M  0H4 
(403)  277-4004.  Services  Sun  11  30  am  and  7  pm  at  above 
address 

□  New  Horizons  (physically  disabled  gays)  c/o  1927  30th  St  SW, 
T3E  2L5.  Or  phone  Gay  Lines,  (403)  234-8973. 

□Womyn's  Collective,  (403)  265-9458  Dances,  library,  lesbian 
drop-ins  every  Tues  Sponsors  LIL. 

Edmonton 

□  Dignity  Edmonton  Oignite.  Box  53,  T5B  2B7  (403)  469-4286 

□  Edmonton  Roughnecks  Recreation  Association,  c/o  GATE  Vol- 
leyball. Softball,  gymnastics. 

□  Gay  Alliance  Toward  Equality,  Box  1852.  T5J  2P2.  Office: 
10173-104  St.  (403)  424-8361.  Info  and  counselling,  Mon-Sat, 
7-10  pm,  Sun  2-5  pm.  Also  coffeehouses,  socials,  newsletter, 
resource  library 

□  Gay  Fathers  &  Lesbian  Mothers  For  info  call  (403)  424-8361 . 

□  Inter/Ed.  Box12G,  9820-104  Si,  T5K  0Z1.  (403)421-7629 
(Jim). 

□  Metropolitan  Community  Church  ol  Edmonton.  Box  1312, 
T5J  2M8  (403)438-5168.  Sunday  worship  at  7:30  pm.  126 
Street  - 110  Avenue. 

□  Privacy  Defence  Committee,  c/o  Box  1852,  T5J  2P2. 

□  Royalist  Social  Society  of  Northern  Alberta  (Imperial-Court  of  the 
Wild  Rose),  10820-38  Av  NW,  T6E  2E6. 

□  The  Vocal  Minority,  "to  educate  the  general  population  about 
the  multiplicity  and  richness  of  our  lives  through  public  musical 
performances."  (403)  426-1516  or  426-1246. 

□  Womonspace,  a  social  and  recreational  group  for  lesbians,  c/o 
Everywomon's  Place,  9926-1 12  St.  Phone  Jeanne,  (403) 
433-3559  or  Liz,  986-0263 

Red  Deer 

□  Gay  Association  ol  Red  Deer,  Box  356,  T4N  5E9. 


Let  h  bridge 


□  Dignity  Lethbridge.  Box  2262,  T1J  4K7.  Phoneline 
(403)  327-0109,7-9  pm. 


SASKATCHEWAN 

Provincial 

□  Affirm/Saskatchewan,  lesbians  and  gays  in  the  United  Church 
422  Smallwood  Cres,  Saskatoon,  S7L  4S4. 

□  Dignity/Saskatchewan  (gay  Catholics  and  friends),  Box  3181 . 
Regina  S4P  3G7 

□  Gay  Rights  Subcommittee.  Saskatchewan  Association  lor 
Human  Rights.  305-116  3rd  Ave  S.  Saskatoon,  S7K  1L5. 
(306)  244-1933. 

Prince  Albert 

□  Prince  Albert  Gay  Community  Centre  (The  Zodiac  Club).  Box 
1893.  S6V  6J9  1-24  10th  St.  E.  (306)922-4650.  Phone  line  Wed- 
Thurs,  8-10  pm,  social  evenings  Fri-Sat.  10  pm-2  am 


Regina 


□  Rumours  (gay  community  centre).  2069  Broad  St  (back  en- 
trance). (306)  522-7343 

□  Regina  Women's  Community  and  Rape  Crisis  Centre  219-1810 
Smith  St,  S4P  2N3   (306)  522-2777.  352-7688. 

Saskatoon 

□  Gay*  Lesbian  Support  Services.  217-116  3rd  Ave  S  Operates 
Gayline  Mailing  address  Box  8581. 

Gay/Lesbian  Community  Centre,  Box  1662,  S7K  3R8.  Phone 
Gayline  for  info  on  dance  and  special  event  locations  and  dates. 

Gayline,  (306)  665-9129.  Mon-Thurs,  7:30-10:30  pm.  Counsel- 
ling, support  groups  available 

Gays  and  Lesbians  at  the  University  ol  Saskatchewan  (GLUS) 
Box  482,  Sub  PO  No  6.  S7N  0W0  Open  to  staff  and  students  of  the 
Saskatoon  campus,  holds  social  and  educational  events. 

Lutherans  Concerned.  Box  8187,  S7K  6C5 


MANITOBA 

Portage-la-Prairie 

BiWomen  s  Support  Group,  Box  820.  R1N  3C3 
(204)  857-5295  For  bisexual  women 


Thompson 


Gay  Friends  of  Thompson,  Box  157,  R8N  1N2 


Winnipeg 


Atlirm:  Gays  and  Lesbians  of  the  United  Church  453-3984 
(Eric)  or  452-2853  (Oave) 

Council  on  Homosexuality  and  Religion  Box  1912.  R3C  3R2 
(204)  452-1813.  786  3976  Worship,  counselling,  library 

Dignity/Winnipeg  Box  1912,  R3C  3R2 

Gay  AA  New  Freedom  Group  Box  2481 .  or  contact  through  Man- 
itoba Central  Office.  (204)  233-3508 

Gay  AlAnon  Group  Into  Gays  for  Equality 

Gay  Community  Centre.  277  Sherbrooke  St  (204)786-1236  In 
corporating  Giovanni' s  Room ,  a  cate  lor  lesbians  and  gay  men 
Open  every  day  except  Sunday  at  5  30  pm  Fully  licensed 

Gay  Fathers  Winnipeg  Box  2221   R3C  3R5  786-3976  (Thurs 
eves.  7  30  pm-10pm) 

Gay  Parents,  c/o  Gays  lor  Equality 

Gays  for  Equality.  Box  27  UMSU.  U  ol  Manitoba.  R3T  2N2 
(204)  786-3976  Office  Suite  2.  Gay  Community  Centre  277 
Sherbrook  Si  Counselling,  info,  rap  sessions,  public  education 
and  law  reform  Lesbian  counsellors  on  lues  evenings 

Lesbian  Line.  (204)  786-3976.  Tues  evenings 

Ms  Purdy's  226  Main  Sf  (204)942-8212  Lesbian  bar 

Mutual  Friendship  Society  Inc  Box  427  R3C  2H6 
(204)  774-3576  Social  and  educational  programmes  Operates 
Happenings  Social  Club  272  Sherbrook  St 


□  Oscar  Wilde  Memorial  Society,  Box  2221 .  R3C  3R5  Variety  of 
social,  cultural  and  educational  activities 

□  Project  Lambda,  Inc.  Box  3911.  Stn  B.  R2W  5H9 

(204)  772-1421.  Lesbian/gay  community  service  organization. 
Publishes  "Out  &  About,"  gay  community  library,  community 
fund-raising  for  medical,  library,  educational  and  counselling 
services 

□  Winnipeg  Gay  Media  Collective.  Box  27.  UMSU.  U  of  Manitoba. 
R3T  2N2.  (204)  786-3976.  Produces  "Coming  Out."  weekly  half- 
hour  cable  broadcast. 

□  Winnipeg  Gay  Youth,  c/o  GFE. 

□  University  of  Winnipeg  Gay  Students  Association  Info 
(204)  786-3976 

□  Yourself,  Box  2790,  R3C  3R5  For  bisexual  men  and  women 


ONTARIO 

Provincial 

□  Coalition  for  Gay  Rights  in  Ontario.  Box  822.  Stn  A.  Toronto 
M5W1G3.  (416)533-6824. 

Cornwall 

□  Gays  and  Lesbians  in  Cornwall.  Box  21 1 ,  K6H  5S7.  For  more 
inlo,  call  the  Gays  of  Ottawa  Gayline.  (613)  238-1 71 7 


Guelph 


□  Guelph  Gay  Equality,  Box  773.  N1H  6L8.  Gayline: 
(519)  836-4550.  24  hrs. 

□  Gays  Out  ol  Doors  (GOOD).  See  Kitchener/Waterloo 

Hamilton 

□  Alcoholics  Anonymous  (Gay),  meets  Sat  at  8  pm  at  15  Queen  St 
S  (side  entrance). 

□  Foundation  lor  the  Advancement  of  Canadian  Transsexuals 
(FACT  Niagara).  Box  291 ,  Stn  A,  L8N  3C8.  (416)  529-7884 

□  Gay  Archives/History  Project  for  Hamilton-Wentworth  (416) 
278-4713.  Looking  for  photos,  clippings,  personal  accounts  of  gay 
life  and  liberation  in  Hamilton,  especially  pre-1979. 

□  Gay  Fathers  of  Hamilton.  Support,  advice.  Meets  twice  a  month 
Call  Gayline  for  info. 

□  Gayline  Hamilton,  info  on  all  groups  and  activities,  peer  counsel- 
ling. (416)  523-7055  Wed-Sun,  7-11  pm. 

□  Gay  Women's  Collective,  c/o  Gayline  Meets  2nd  Mon  of  month 

□  Hamilton  United  Gay  Societies  (HUGS),  a  meeting  of  men  and 
women,  young  and  old.  with  discussions  and  speakers.  Meets  on 
alternate  Weds,  Gay  Community  Centre.  Suite  207.  41  King  William 
St.  7:30  pm.  Call  Gayline  for  further  into. 

□  Mailing  address  for  all  Hamilton  groups  listed  above:  Box  44, 
Stn  B,  L8L  7T5. 

Kenora 

□  The  Lesbian  Archives  ol  Manitoba  and  Northwestern  Ontario, 

RR  2,  P9N  3W8.  (807)  548-4325  (Isabel  Andrews).  In  Manitoba, 
contact  Erin  Cole,  LAWR,  Box  147,  Winnipeg  R2M  4A5. 
(204)  256-7740. 

Kingston 

□  Queen's  Homophile  Association.  51  Queen's  Crescent,  Queen's 
University,  K.7L  2S7.  (613)  547-5841  (24-hr  recorded  message, 
stalled  Mon-Fri,  7-9  pm.  Drop-in  Thurs  evenings,  biweekly 
dances. 

Kitchener/Waterloo 

□  Gay  Liberation  of  Waterloo,  c/o  Federation  of  Students,  U  of 
Waterloo.  Waterloo  N2L  3G1.  (519)  884-GL0W.  Coffeehouse  every 
Wed  at  8:30  pm.  Campus  Ctr,  rm  110. 

□  Gay  News  and  Views,  radio  programme,  Tues,  6-8  pm,  CKMS- 
FM,  94.5  MHz,  105.7  MHz  on  Grand  River  Cable.  200  University 
AveW.  (519)886-CKMS 

□  Gays  ol  Wilfrid  Laurier  University,  c/o  WLUSU,  Wilfred  Laurier 
University,  75  University  AveW,  Waterloo. 

□  Gays  Out  of  Doors  (GOOD),  Box  2751,  Kitchener  N2H  6N3  Out- 
door activities  and  social  club  (camping,  skiing,  canoeing,  cycling, 
picnics,  potluck  suppers  and  parties). 

□  Half  and  Half  Club.  A  non-profit  social  club  that  sponsors  a  bar 
and  disco  at  223  1/2  King  St  W  (use  Halls  Lane  entrance). 
(519)  749-9084.  Mon-Sat,  8  pm-1  am.  Cover  Thurs-Sat. 

□  International  Women's  Day  Committee.  Box  1491,  Stn  C.  Kit- 
chener. N2G  4P2. 

□  Kitchener-Waterloo  Gay  Media  Collective.  Box  2741 ,  Stn  B,  Kit- 
chener, N2H  6N3.  (519)579-3325. 

□  Leaping  Lesbians,  radio  programme,  Thurs,  6  to  8  pm,  CKMS- 
FM.  94.5  MHz.  105.7  MHz  cable  Write  c/o  LOOK. 

□  Lesbian  Organization  ol  Kitchener.  Box  2422,  Stn  B,  Kitchener 
N2H  6M3.  (519)  744-4863.  Womyns  coffeehouse  first  Thurs  of 
month  at  85  Highland  Rd  W,  Kitchener. 

London 

□  Gay  Youth  London,  c/o  HALO  Meets  Thurs  at  7  pm,  2nd  floor, 
649  Colborne  St  (519)433-3762. 

□  Gayline,  (519)  433-3551  Recorded  message  24  hrs/day.  Peer 
counselling  Mon  and  Thurs,  7-10  pm 

Homophile  Association  of  London,  Ontario  (HALO),  649  Colborne 
St,  N6A  3Z2  (519)  433-3762  Colfee  House:  Sun  and  Mon, 
7-10  pm  Disco/Bar.  Fri  and  Sat,  9  pm-1  30  am 
I    Metropolitan  Community  Church,  Box  4724.  Stn  D.  N5W  5L7 
Services  Sun.  7:30  pm  at  Unitarian  Church.  29  Victoria  St  W.  north 
entrance  to  Gibbons  Park  Info  Worship  Coordinator. 
(519)  433-9939.  Rides:  (519)  432-9690 


Mississauga/Brampton 


GEM  Gay  Community  Outreach  Box  62.  Brampton  L6V  2K7 
Gayline  West,  (416)  453-GGCO  Peer  counselling 
Parents  ol  Gays  Mississauga,  c/o  Anne  Rutledge.  3323  Kings 
Mastings  Cres,  L5L  1G5  (416)  820-5130 

Niagara  Region 

Gayline,  (416)  354-3173 

Gay  Unity  Niagara  Box  692.  Niagara  Falls  L2E  6V5 
Gay  Trails,  lor  lesbians  and  gay  men  who  en|oy  hiking  Day  and 
overnight  trips  planned  Visitors  welcome  Box  t053.  MPO.  St 
Catharines.  L2R  7A3.  or  call  (416)  685-6431  belore9  am 


North  Bay 


Gay  Fellowship  ol  North  Bay  Box  665,  Callendar.  ON  POH  1  HO 
Meetings  every  Sunday  lor  gay  men  and  lesbians  lo  share  and 
discuss  our  problems  and  |oys  as  gay  persons 

Ottawa 

Dlgmty/Ottawa/Dlgnlti  Box  2102.  Stn  D.  KIP  5W3 
Gay  People  at  Carillon,  c/o  CUSA.  Carlelon  University  For  more 
into,  call  (613)  238-1717 


I 


We  Are  Expanding! 

Thank  You  For  Your  Support! 


Thank  you:  Dan  John  Tom  David  Chris  Rick  Derrick  Tony  Jim  George 
Nick  Roy  Paul  Pat  Don  Charles  Dennis  James  Doug  Jack  Norm  Bill  Dick 
Bob  Ken  Ron  Jerry  Charlie  Henry  Alex  Mike  Peter  Les  Terry  Gord  Steve 
Keith  Walter  Lee  Rod  Martin  Philip  Hugh  Keith  Fred  Harry  Adam  Bryan 
Kevin  Jeff  and  Ron  Mark  Ted  Karl  Scott  Dale  Max  Norm  Joe  Frank  Gerry 
Barry  Ian  Ray  Gordon  Al  Wayne  Ralph  Edward  Martin  Geoff  Robin 
Matthew  Allan  Roger  Gary  Blake  Collin  Harold  Bruce  Todd  Neil  Tim 
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NAME   

ADDRESS  

CITY,  PROV  POSTAL  CODE  

AMOUNT  $ 


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..Xgutti 


Toronto      Ottawa       Saint  John      Halifax     Thunder  Bay       Montreal  (Le  magasm 
THE  BODY  POLITIC     I  JULY /AUGUST  1984  ( 


BLACK  9  f  TIE 
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is  THE  introduction  service  for  lesbians  and  gay 
men. 

We  will  help  you  meet  a  new  friend  or  find 
fiery  romance. 

We  meet  with  all  our  of  customers  in  a 
relaxed,  home-like  atmosphere,  and  guarantee 
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CALL: 

(416)361-0080 
9  am  to  10  pm 
7  days  a  week 


WRITE: 

260  Adelaide  St.  E. 

Toronto,  Ont. 

M5A1N1 


Sunday,  July  15,  1-5  pm 

ROCH€SI€R 
GAY  COM- 
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Hot  Dogs,  Salad,Baked  Beans,  Vegetarian  entrees,  Beer, 
Pop,  Dance   Music,  Games 

All  for  a  $5  Donation 

ENTERTAINMENT:  Rochester  Gay  Mens  Chorus, 
Begonia,  &  Charitable  Dunking  Booth 

ADVANCE  TICKETS  ($4)  available  June  29  at  Paul's  Grocery, 
Silkwood,  some  local  bars  &  GAGV  Office 

Genesee  Valley  Park 

Off  Elm  wood  Avenue,  by  the  east  bank 
of  the  Genesee  River 

Follow  the  A  signs. 

COME  ON  DOWN 
CANADA! 


Gays  ol  Oltawa/Gais  de  I  Outaouais  Box  2919  Stn  D.  K1P5W9 
GO  Centre.  175  Lisgar  St  open  7  30-10  30  pm  Mon-Thurs  Thurs 
lesbian  drop-in.  8  pm;  Fri:  social,  7:30  pm-1  am;  Sat;  women's 
night.  7  30  pm-1  am;  Sun  AA  Live  &  Let  Live  group.  8  pm  Gay- 
line  (613)  238-1717  Mon-Fn  7:30-10:30  pm.  recording  other 
limes  Office  (613)233-0152. 

i    Gay  Youth  Ottawa/Hull/Jeunesse  Gai(e)  d  Ottawa/Hull  For  into 
call  or  write  Gays  ot  Ottawa  Meeting/drop-in.  Wed  8  pm. 
175  Lisgar  St. 

:  '.  Integrity/Ottawa,  (gay  Anglicans  and  their  triends)  c/oSt 
George  s  Anglican  Church.  152  Metcalte  St,  K2P  1N9. 
(613)  235-2516.9-5.  Mon-Fn.  Meets  2nd  and  4th  Weds  at 
7:30  pm.  at  St  George's. 

Lesbiennes  el  gais  du  campus/Lesbians  and  Gays  on  Campus, 
c/o  SFU0,  85  rue  Hastey  Street.  K1N  6N5. 
GLive  and  Let  Live  Group  for  gay  alcoholics.  Contact  GO. 
Q  Metropolitan  Community  Church.  Box  2979,  Stn  0,  K1P  5W9 
(613)232-0241 
G Parents  of  Gays,  Box  9094,  K1G  3T8. 


Peterborough 


Gays  and  Lesbians  at  Trent  and  Peterborough  262  Rubidge  St, 
K9J  3P2  Oflice  hours:  7:30-10  pm,  Tues-Thurs. 


Sudbury 


DSudbury  All  Gay  Alliance.  Box  1092.  Stn  B.  Sudbury,  ON 
P3E  4S6. 


Thunder  Bay 


DGays  ol  Thunder  Bay.  Box  2155,  P7B  5E8.  (807)  345-8011 .  Wed 

and  Fri  7:30-9:30  pm.  Recording  other  times.  Meets  1st  and  3rd 

Tues.  Dances  held  monthly. 

i   Northern  Women's  Centre,  316  Bay  St,  P7B  1S1 

(807)  345-7802 

Toronto 

For  intormafion  on  groups  in  Toronto,  check  Out  in  The  City,  p  24. 

Windsor 

AA  Acceptance  Group  —  Gay/Lesbian  Fellowship,  Box  7002. 
Sandwich  Postal  Stn.  N9C  3Y6.  (519)973-4951. 
GGay/Lesbian  Information  Line.  Box  7002.  Sandwich  Postal  Stn, 
N9C  3YC.  (519)973-4951. 

G  Lesbian  and  Gay  Students  on  Campus,  c/o  Students'  Activities 
Council,  U  of  Windsor.  (519)973-4951  Rap  sessions  weekly. 
riLesbian/Gay  Youth  Group,  c/o  Box  7002,  Sandwich  Postal  Sin. 
N9C  3Y6  (519)973-4951, 


QUEBEC 


Brome 

GThe  Capables.  Support  group  for  bisexual  men.  Contact  through 
Gay  Info  in  Montreal. 

Charlevoix 

DAssociation  pour  les  droits  des  gais  de  Charlevoix.  CP  724.  Cler- 
mont. GOT  1C0  (418)439-2080. 

Hull 

Association  gaie  de  louest  quebecois  CP1215.  succ  B. 
J8X  3X7  (819)  778-1737. 

Lennoxville 

Students  Against  Homophobia.  Box  1594,  Lennoxville  Campus. 
Lennoxville,  J1M  2A1, 

Montreal 

DAtfirmer,  CP471,  succ  La  Cite.  H2N  2N9  Gays  in  the  United 

Church 

GAidoaux  transsexuals  du  Quebec.  CP363.  succC.  H2J  4K3. 

(514)521-9302 

DAIme-toi  (AA),  6518.  rue  St  Vallier.  H2S  2P7.  (514)  524-5821. 

For  gay  and  lesbian  alcoholics. 

DAIternatives.3440chemindelaC6te-djes-Neiges,  H2J  1L2,  For 

gay  male  drug  abusers 

Les  Archives  gaies  du  Quebec,  c/o  Sortie.  Box  232.  Stn  C. 
H2L  4K1 

Association  communautalre  homosexuelle  de  I'Unlvorstte  de 
Montreal,  pavilion  Lionel-Groulx.  3200  Jean-Brillant.  local  1267. 
H3T  1N8  (514)  342-9236  (Jean-Pierre). 
n  Association  pour  les  droits  des  gals  et  lesbiennes  du  Quebec 
(ADGLQ).  CP  36.  succ  C,  H2L  4J7.  Office:  263  est  rue  Ste- 
Catherine.  (514)  843-8671 .  Mon-Fri,  7-10  pm. 

Association  des  bonnes  gens  sourdes,  CP  764.  succ  R. 
H2J  3M4 

Atelier  de  theatre  gai,  Cegep  Rosemont.  6400 16e  Ave,  local 
A-418  (Michel  Breton). 

The  Capables.  c/o  Gay  Into,  support  group  for  bisexual  men. 
Meets  second  Weds  ol  month,  3237,  rue  Bt-Antoine. 

Collectil  d'lnterventlon  communautalre.  aupres  des  gals 
(CICAG).  CP29,  succ  Victoria.  H3Z  2V4, (514)  484-2602 

Le  Collectil  du  triangle  rose,  c/o  Librairie  I'Androgyne 
GComile  gal-e  du  Cegep  du  Vleux-Montreal.  255  est.  Ontario, 
H2X  3M8   Mon.  6  pm 

Communaute  homophile  chretienne  Centre  Newman.  3484  rue 
Peel.  H3A  1W8  (514)382-8467  For  Catholics 

Contact-t-nous  (514)861-6753.  Venereal  disease  treatment 
ncdte  a  Cote,  gay  couples  group  c/o  Gay  Info 
riCdte  a  Cote.  Radio  centre-ville  CINQ  (102.3  FM)  (514) 
288-1601   Mon.  4  pm. 

Dignity  Montreal  Oignite,  Newman  Centre.  3484  Peel  St. 
H3A  1W8  (514)392-6711  For  gay  catholics  and  friends.  Monday 
7  30  pm 

Eglise  Communautalre  de  Montreal,  Montreal  Community 
Church.  CP  610.  succ  NOG.  H4A  3R1  (514)  489-7845. 
!    Federation  canadlenne  des  transsexuels  pour  le  Quebec,  16  rue 
Viau,VaudreuilJ7V  1A7 

1    Femmes  gales  de  McGill.  3480.  rue  McTavish,  H3A  1X9  (514) 
392-8920 

Gai-ecoute(hommes).  (514)843-5652  Wed-Sat.  7-11  pm 

Gay  Fathers  ol  Montreal,  c/o  Gay  Info 

Gay  Hearth  Clinic  Montreal  Youth  Clinic/Clmique  des  Jeunes  de 
Montreal,  3465  Peel  Street.  H3A  1X1.  (514)842-8576  General 
practice.  Mon-Fn.  9-5  pm.  open  until  8  pm  Mon  &  Fri  only  Closed 
daily  12  30-1  30  pm 

Gay  Info.  CP1164.  succH.  H3G  2N1  (514)933-2395,  Thurs- 
Sat  7-10  30  pm  Recorded  message  other  times  Counselling  and 
information 

Gay  Physicians  ol  Montreal/Les  medecins  gai(e|s  de  Montreal 
a/s  2151   rue  Lincoln  N'20.  H2H1J2 


Gay  and  Lesbian  Social  Services.  5  rue  Weredale  Pk,  Westmount 
H3Z1Y5  (514)937-9581. 

'Gayline.  c/o  Gay  Social  Services  Project.  5  rue  Weredale  Pk. 
Westmount.  H3Z  1Y5  (514)  931-5330  (women),  Thurs  and  Sat. 
7-11  pm;  931-8668  (men).  7daysaweek,  7-11  pm.  Info  and  coun- 
selling in  English 

Gays  and  Lesbians  at  McGill,  3480  rue  McTavish.  local  411 . 
H3A  1X9  (514)  392-8912. 

GLeGoeland(AA).  4652  rue  Jeanne-Mance  (514)728-3228  For 
lesbian  and  gay  alcoholics 

Groupe  de  discussion  pour  lesbiennes.  5  Weredale  Park. 
H3Z  1Y5.  (514)932-9581  (Joanne  Stitt) 

Groupe  pour  lesbiennes  alcooliques  (AA),  6517  rue  St-Denis. 

Integrity  Gay  Anglicans  and  their  friends.  Box  562,  Verdun 
H4G  3E4   (514)  766-9623. 

DJeunesse  Lambda  Youth,  c/o  The  Yellow  Door.  3625  rue  Aylmer. 
2nd  floor,  H2X  2C3. 

Lesbian  and  Gay  Friends  of  Concordia,  c/o  CUSA.  Concordia 
University.  1455  boul  de  Maisonneuve  ouest.  H3G  1M8 
(514)  879-8406  Office:  room  307.  2070  MacKay.  open  1-4  pm 
weekdays  Meetings  Thurs  at  4  pm  in  room  H-333-6. 

Lesbiennes  a  I  ecoute  (514)843-5661   CP36.  SuccC, 
H2L  4J7.  Wed-Sat,  7-11  pm. 

Librairie  I'Androgyne.  3642  boul  St  Laurent.  2nd  floor. 
H2X  2V4  (514)  842-4765. 

□  Ligue  Lambda  Inc.  CP701.  succN,  H2X  2N2.  (514)  526-1967 
(Claude)  or  523-8026  (Donald).  Sports  group 
DLive  and  Let  Live,  Alcoholics  Anonymous  group  for  gay  men  and 
women  Tuesdays,  7:30  pm,  Rm  210,  5  Weredale  Park. 

Naches  (gay  and  lesbian  Jews),  CP  298  succH,  H3G  ?K8 
(514)  844-0863  or  488-0849.  Meets  at  the  Yellow  Door.  3625 
Aylmer  St.  Tues  at  8  pm 

Parallels  Lesbiennes  et  Gais,  radio  programme.  Mon  19h30. 
CIBL-mf.  104,5. 1691  Pie  IX,  local  402.  H1V  2C3.  (514)  526-1489. 
526-5387. 

GParents  and  Families  of  Gays,  c/o  Gay  Info 
GProductions88,  CP188,  succC.  H2L  4K1. 
G  Reunion  des  associations  gales  et  lesbiennes  a  Montreal 
(RAGLAM),  Box  936,  Stn  H.  H3G  SM9 
GServices  communautaires  pour  lesbiennes  et  gais  du  Centre  des 
services  sociaux  Ville-Marie.  5  Weredale  Park.  Westmount. 
H3Z  1Y5.  (514)  937-9581  (Joanne  Stitt). 
GService  Jeunesse,  for  those  25  and  under,  meets  every  Satur- 
day. 8-10  pmat  263  est.  rueSte-  Catherine 
GTravesties  a  Montreal,  support  lor  transvestites  c/o  Gay  Info 
GUnited  Church  Gays  and  Lesbians  in  Ouebec/Les  Gais  et  Les- 
biennes de  I ' Eglise  Unie  au  Quebec,  c/o  United  Theological  Col- 
lege, 3521  University  St,  H3A  2A9.  (514)  392-6711. 
GVivre  Gai(e)  (AA),  St  Jean  Anglican  Church.  110,  est  Ste  Cather- 
ine. H2X  1Z6.  (514)  733-0757. 

Quebec 

Centre  homophile  d'aideet  deliberation,  175  Prince-Edouard, 
G1R4M8.  (418)  523-4997. 

QGroupe  gai  del'Universite  Laval,  CP2500.  Pavilion  Lemieux, 
Cite  universitaire.  Ste-Foy,  G1K  7P4. 
GLigue  Mardi-Gai.  (418)  529-6973  (Jean  Claude  Roy) 

Sherbrooke 

GL' Association  pour  I'epanouissement  de  la  communaute  gaie  de 
I'Estrie.  CP294.J1H  5J1 

NEW  BRUNSWICK 
Fredericton 

Fredencton  Lesbians  and  Gays.  Box  1556.  Stn  A.  E3B  5G2 
(506)  457-2156.  Meets  2nd  Wed  of  month. 

Moncton 

GGals  et  Lesbiennes  de  Moncton.  CP  7102,  Riverview.  Nouveau 
Brunswick. 

Saint  John 

Lesbian  and  Gay  Organization  -  Saint  John  (LAG0-SJ),  Box 
6494,StnA.SUohn.E2L4R9. 

Western  NB 

GNorthern  Lambda  Nord,  Box  990,  Caribou.  Maine  04736  USA 
Serving  Western  NB  and  Northern  Maine  (Madawaska/Victoria/ 
Carlton,  NB;  Temiscouata,  Quebec;  and  Aroostook,  Maine).  Gay 
phoneline:  (207)  896-5888 

NOVA  SCOTIA 

Halifax 

GGay  Alliance  for  Equality  Inc.  Box  3611.  Halifax  South  Postal  Stn. 
B3J  3K6  (902)429-4294 

GGayline.  (902)  423-1389.  Box  361 1 .  Halifax  South  Postal  Stn, 
B3J  3K6  Thurs- Sat,  7-10  pm.  Into,  referrals  and  peer  coun- 
selling 

GLesblan  Drop-In.  2nd  and  4th  Fri  ol  month,  1225  Barrington  St 
Info:  429-4063.  Music  and  conversation. 
G  Live  and  Let  Live  Group ,  for  gay  alcoholics  Phone  or  write  GAE . 

Rumours  (gay  community  centre)  1586  Granville  St.  (902) 
423-6814  Write:  Box  3611 .  Halifax  South  Postal  Sin.  B3J  3K6 

Sparrow  (gay  and  lesbian  Christians  and  Iriends),  c/o  Box 
3611,  South  Stn,  B3J  3K6  Meets  Sun  at  8  pm  (902)  425-6967 

NEWFOUNDLAND 

Provincial 

GGay  Association  in  Newfoundland.  Box  1364.  Sin  C.  St  John's, 
A1C  5N5 


GET  YOUR  GROUP 
INTO  NETWORK! 

Network  Is  TBP's  listing  of  lesbian  and  gay  groups 
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18  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


THE  WORLD 


City  council  seats  in  Sydney;  rights  protection  in  New  South  Wales 

Celebrating  victories  in  Australia 


Three  openly  gay  men  were  elected 
to  Sydney's  city  council  April  17, 
and  the  New  South  Wales  state 
government  finally  moved  on  May 
22  to  decriminalize  gay  sex  be- 
tween consenting  adults. 

Craig  Johnston  of  the  Australian  La- 
bour Party  won  a  solid  victory  in 
Sydney's  Macquarie  Ward.  He  has  been 
associated  with  the  reform  group  of  the 
Labour  Party  and  his  election  demon- 
strated the  swing  against  the  party's  aging 
right-wing  machine. 

Brian  McGahen's  independent  cam- 
paign was  based  on  his  support  in  the  gay 
community,  but  he  managed  to  win  the 
backing  of  important  non-gay  resident 
groups.  "The  great  achievement  was  that 
my  campaign  was  conducted  by  gay  activ- 
ists, and  was  conceived,  designed  and 
funded  entirely  from  within  the  gay  com- 
munity," he  said.  "Contrary  to  fears  that 
were  expressed  earlier,  we  were  able  to 
develop  links  and  alliances  with  a  broad 
selection  of  other  groups  in  our  area,  so 
ours  became  a  local-resident  as  well  as  a 
gay-community  campaign." 

A  second  independent,  Bill  Hunt,  run- 
ning in  the  Alexandria  Ward,  did  not  base 
his  campaign  entirely  on  gay  issues.  He 
has,  however,  been  an  active  member  of 
the  Gay  Rights  Lobby  and  discussed  gay 
rights  whenever  the  issue  arose.  He  was 
open  about  being  gay  whenever  asked. 

"We  should  be  careful  not  to  think  that 
changes  can  be  made  too  quickly,"  said 
Johnston  after  the  victory.  "The  elec- 
tions of  three  openly  gay  people  to  City 
Council  is  really  only  a  small  step  toward 
liberation." 

In  state  politics,  the  long-awaited  re- 
form of  the  New  South  Wales  Criminal 
Code  finally  took  place  May  22,  but  not 
before  an  amendment,  which  outraged 
gay  activists  already  cool  to  the  bill's  age- 
of-consent  provisions,  was  added  to  the 
legislation.  Before  May  22,  New  South 
Wales  was  one  of  the  few  places  on  earth 
where  it  was  illegal  to  discriminate  against 
lesbians  and  gay  men,  but  it  was  also  il- 
legal for  gay  people  to  have  sex. 

The  reform,  introduced  as  a  private 
member's  bill  by  Premier  Neville  Wran, 
decriminalized  gay  sex  for  those  over  the 
age  of  18.  Heterosex  is  legal  at  16  years 
of  age. 

A  last-minute  amendment  introduced 
by  conservative  parliamentarians  called 
for  a  two-year  prison  sentence  for  "any 
person  who  advises,  solicits,  incites,  pro- 
cures, counsels,  encourages  or  persuades 
or  attempts  to  procure  or  persuade  a  male 
under  the  age  of  18  years  to  have  homo- 
sexual intercourse." 

The  Premier  himself  commented  that 
such  an  amendment  could  be  used  against 
teachers,  social  workers  and  counsellors 
who  merely  offered  advice.  Although  the 
final  draft  deleted  the  word  "counsel," 
the  rest  of  the  amendment  was  passed  in- 
to law  with  the  bill. 

A  similar  bill  that  would  decriminalize 
gay  sex  in  West  Australia  is  presently  run- 
ning into  rough  water  in  Labour  Party 
caucuses  over  the  issue  of  age  of  consent. 
This  bill  also  sets  18  years  as  the  age  of 
consent  and  has  been  criticized  as  "faint- 
hearted and  gutless"  by  those  who  wish 
to  see  the  principle  of  equality  upheld . 

In  another  victory  in  the  neighbouring 


Free  speech  in  Melbourne:  Alison  Thome, 
left,  with  friends  outside  magistrates'  court 

state  of  Victoria,  charges  against  nine  gay 
men  of  the  Pedophile  Support  Group  of 
conspiring  to  corrupt  public  morals  were 
dismissed  by  a  judge  May  10. 

A  police  spy  had  infiltrated  the  group 
and  taped  conversations  at  group  meet- 
ings, but  the  court  ruled  that  individuals 
talking  about  each  others'  sexual  orienta- 
tion over  cups  of  tea  was  not  a  crime. 

The  magistrate's  decision  was  a  victory 
for  free  speech.  It  also  made  a  mockery 
of  the  decision  by  the  State  of  Victoria's 
Education  Minister  to  transfer  technical- 
school  teacher  Alison  Thorne  to  a  non- 
teaching  position  after  she  spoke  out  in 
defence  of  the  men  when  they  were  ar- 
rested in  November,  1983. D 

Five  groups  condemn 
huge  police  sweeps 

MEXICO  CITY  —  Five  Mexican  lesbian 
and  gay  groups  issued  a  press  bulletin 
late  in  March  denouncing  massive  police 
sweeps  that  have  resulted  in  the  arrests 
of  hundreds  of  gay  men  in  Mexico  City 
this  spring. 

The  largest  sweep  took  place  late  in 
the  evening  of  March  10.  More  than  50 
patrol  cars  and  10  busloads  of  police 
officers  swooped  down  on  the  Zona 
Rosa  and  the  Colonia  Roma  districts,  ar- 
resting more  than  one  thousand  people, 
most  of  them  youths,  prostitutes  and 
gay  people.  Press  reports  referred  to 
those  arrested  as  "sluts,  lowlife,  drug 
addicts,  muggers,  homosexuals  and 
drunks."  Police  justified  their  raid  as 
protecting  the  public  from  delinquency 
and  as  part  of  the  presidential  campaign 
for  moral  reform.  Street  crime  has  in- 
creased as  more  and  more  Mexicans  are 
driven  into  abject  poverty  by  the  coun- 
try's serious  economic  crisis. 

The  gay  groups  charged  that  "the 
roundups  have  created  in  many  localities 
a  virtual  state  of  siege  or  curfew  because 
the  police...  detain  without  any  legal 
justification  any  individual  they  find  in 
the  street." 

The  groups  will  try  to  collect  41,000 
signatures  on  a  petition  to  be  presented 
to  President  Miguel  de  la  Madrid  on  In- 
ternational Human  Rights  Day,  denoun- 
cing anti-gay  police  repression.  The 
country's  sixth  annual  Lesbian  and  Gay 


Pride  Day  march  will  take  place  in  Mex- 
ico City  on  June  30  and  an  act  of  pil- 
grimage to  the  Basilica  of  Guadalupe  is 
being  planned  by  gay  Christian  groups 
to  protest  the  negative  attitude  of  the 
Catholic  Church  hierarchy.  □ 

Yugoslavs  hold  first 
East  Bloc  conference 

LJUBLJANA  —The  first  gay  festival  in 
an  East  Bloc  country  took  place  in  this 
Yugoslav  state  capital  April  22  to  25  and 
attracted  lesbians  and  gay  men,  young 
Yugoslavs  into  punk  and  new  wave, 
curious  straights  and  a  handful  of  jour- 
nalists from  both  Eastern  and  Western 
Europe. 

Held  in  the  city's  Student  Cultural 
Centre,  the  conference  was  organized  by 
two  gay  men,  Bogdan  Lesnik,  the  Cen- 
tre's secretary,  and  Aldo  Lvacis.  Enti- 
tled "Homosexuality  and  Culture,"  the 
event  featured  displays  of  books,  maga- 


zines and  gay  papers  from  around  the 
world,  a  disco  night,  and  a  film  and 
video  series  including  such  titles  as  The 
Naked  Civil  Servant,  Cruising,  Taxi 
Zum  Klo  and  the  new  British  work 
Framed  Youth  (recently  seized  by  the 
Ontario  censor  board  after  a  showing  in 
Toronto). 

Ljubljana  is  the  capital  of  the  state  of 
Slovenia,  which,  along  with  Croatia,  de- 
criminalized homosexuality  in  1977.  Gay 
sex  remains  prohibited  in  Serbia.  Ironi- 
cally, Ljubljana  is  a  city  well  known  for 
its  tolerance  but  it  has  no  purely  gay 
clubs,  and  the  city's  only  sauna  has  been 
closed  down  by  police.  Belgrade,  the 
federal  capital,  has  a  far  more  developed 
network  of  gay  clubs  and  cruising  areas. 

The  Ljubljana  festival  reveals  a  new 
interest  in  gay  liberation,  which  seems  to 
be  spreading  across  the  Yugoslav  federa- 
tion. As  the  festival  closed,  a  gay  film 
festival  was  opening,  and  the  Croatian 
capital  of  Zagreb  is  the  first  city  in  the 
Eastern  Bloc  to  boast  a  regular  gay  radio 
programme.  □ 


US  seeks  deportation  of  "faggots" 


HOLLYWOOD  —  The  US  Immigration 
and  Naturalization  Service  (INS)  seems 
determined  to  deport  Tony  Sullivan,  an 
Australian  citizen,  despite  his  12-year 
relationship  with  an  American  man.  In  a 
second  case,  the  US  Supreme  Court  has 
refused  to  overturn  a  federal  law  prohib- 
iting homosexuals  from  becoming  US 
citizens. 

Sullivan  met  Richard  Adams  in  Los 
Angeles  in  197 1  and  they  have  been  liv- 
ing together  in  California  since  April 
1972.  The  two  were  legally  married  in 
Boulder,  Colorado  in  1974  and  Sullivan 
applied  for  resident-alien  status  in  the 
US  in  1975.  Their  marriage  was  subse- 
quently ruled  invalid  by  the  Colorado 
attorney-general,  and  the  INS  notified 
the  couple,  "You  have  failed  to  establish 


that  a  bona-fide  marital  relationship  can 
exist  between  faggots."  After  protest, 
the  notice  was  reissued  without  the  word 
"faggots." 

In  1980,  Sullivan  asked  for  suspension 
of  his  deportation  order  on  the  grounds 
that  his  expulsion  after  an  eight-year 
relationship  with  Adams  would  consti- 
tute "extreme  hardship."  On  April  20  of 
this  year,  however,  the  Department  of 
Justice's  Board  of  Immigration  Appeals 
ruled,  "We  do  not  find  that  the  respon- 
dent's separation  from  his  'life  partner' 
will  cause  him  hardship,  emotional  or 
otherwise,  sufficient  to  rise  to  the  level 
of  extreme  hardship  contemplated  under 
the  act." 

The  couple  have  filed  an  appeal  that 
will  stay  the  deportation  for  several 


Not  wanted:  Tony  Sullivan  (right)  faces  depor- 
tation from  the  US  despite  12-year  rela- 
tionship with  lover  Richard  Adams,  left 


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months  pending  a  decision.  When  asked 
what  he  and  Sullivan  would  do  if  the  ap- 
peal court  ruled  against  them,  Adams 
said,  "I  don't  know.  But  we'll  be  togeth- 
er, I  know  that." 

In  the  second  case,  the  US  Supreme 
Court  refused  to  hear  an  appeal  of  a 
Texas  Federal  Court  decision  which 
denied  citizenship  to  Richard  Longstaff , 
a  Dallas  businessman  who  emigrated 
from  Britain  19  years  ago.  Although  the 
Texas  court  agreed  that  Longstaff  was  of 
"good  moral  character,"  it  denied  him 
citizenship  on  the  grounds  that,  as  a 
homosexual,  he  has  a  "psychopathic 
personality."  As  a  result  of  the  Supreme 
Court  decision,  deportation  proceedings 
will  begin,  according  to  the  Dallas  direc- 
tor of  the  INS.  Longstaff  is  preparing  to 
extend  his  legal  battle  once  again.  □ 

Lesbians  win  rights 
in  restaurant  fight 

LOS  ANGELES  —Two  lesbian  lovers, 
Zandra  Rolon  and  Deborah  Johnson, 
have  won  a  landmark  decision  against 
Papa  Choux,  an  elegant  downtown  res- 
taurant that  denied  the  couple  a  booth 
they  had  reserved  for  a  romantic  dinner 
in  January  1983. 

In  a  unanimous  decision,  three  jus- 
tices of  the  California  Court  of  Appeals 
overturned  an  earlier  decision  blocking 
an  injunction  against  the  restaurant's 
discriminatory  practices.  The  judges  up- 
held the  Los  Angeles  non-discrimination 
code,  which  makes  specific  reference  to 
sexual  orientation.  The  restaurant  plans 
to  appeal. 

The  women's  attorney,  Gloria  Allred, 
said  she  was  "ecstatic"  with  the  deci- 
sion. "It  means  that  two  men  together 
or  two  women  together  cannot  be  denied 
equal  accommodation,  services  or  privi- 
leges in  California  based  on  sexual  pref- 
erence. The  decision  applies  not  only  to 
restaurants  but  to  theatres,  stores,  and 
all  business  establishments." 

"This  case  is  about  human  dignity," 
Allred  concluded.  "It  will  be  known  as  a 
landmark,  establishing  as  California  law 
that  gay  people  do  not  have  to  ride  in  the 
back  of  the  bus  or  sit  at  the  back  of  the 
restaurant  any  more."D 

Spanish  groups  meet; 
protest  Military  Code 

VITORIA  —  Representatives  from  gay- 
liberation  organizations  across  Spain  met 
here  April  19  to  22  to  debate  strategies  for 
the  future  of  the  national  coalition 
COFLHEE  (Coordinadora  de  los  Frentes 
de  Liberaci6n  Homosexual  del  Estado 
Espaftol). 

A  principal  issue  was  the  wave  of  anti- 
gay  repression  now  sweeping  the  Spanish 
armed  forces. 

The  strategy  debate  centred  on  the 
positions  of  the  Catalan  Gay  Liberation 
Front  (FAGC)  —  which,  like  most  Span- 
ish organizations,  has  a  long  association 
with  the  left  —  and  the  positions  of  the 
more  centrist  newly  formed  group  from 
Madrid,  AGAMA. 

The  FAGC  position  is  that  there  are  no 
real  homosexuals.  Gay  identity  has  been 
created  to  isolate  homosexuality  and  con- 
fine it  to  the  ghetto.  True  sexual  libera- 
tion is  a  matter  of  the  revolutionary  trans- 
formation of  society,  together  with  other 
social  movements  such  as  feminism,  eco- 
logy, pacifism,  worker's  struggles  and 
others,  thereby  freeing  the  homosexual 
potential  in  everyone. 

On  the  other  hand,  AGAMA's  politics 
focus  on  the  most  pressing  concerns  of 


the  gay  community. 

Although  the  two  strategies  reveal 
political  differences,  the  debate  was 
friendly  and  the  conference  reaffirmed  its 
traditional  left  orientation.  Nor  did  the 
differences  inhibit  unity  on  the  issue  of 
repression  within  the  Spanish  military. 
The  entire  conference  took  to  the  streets 
of  this  normally  restrained  and  conser- 
vative provincial  capital  to  demand  the 
abolition  of  anti-gay  provisions  in  the 
Spanish  Military  Code. 

Although  gay  sex  is  not  illegal  in  Spain, 
the  Military  Code  can  punish  those  in  the 
armed  forces  with  up  to  four  years  in 
prison  for  the  "practice  of  'dishonest' 
acts  with  a  person  of  the  same  sex."  Such 
activity  supposedly  brings  military 
honour  into  disrepute. 

The  issue  was  brought  to  public  atten- 
tion March  1  when  Antonio  Mejias,  a 
young  navy  volunteer  who  had  consensu- 
al sex  with  another  sailor,  was  sentenced 
to  four  years  in  prison.  Mejias's  former 
lover  was  given  only  a  six-month  sen- 
tence, since  he  had  since  impregnated  a 
woman  and  was  planning  to  get  married. 
Both  men  had  already  served  several 
months  in  prison  while  awaiting  trial,  and 
Mejias  was  savagely  gang-raped  when  he 
returned  to  finish  his  sentence. 

Although  concrete  statistics  are  not 
available,  it  appears  that  as  many  as  two 
dozen  men  and  women  are  tried  in  Span- 
ish military  courts  every  year  for  same-sex 
love.  In  an  editorial  in  the  April  issue  of 
its  magazine  Madrid  Gai,  AGAMA 
charged  that  military  provisions  con- 
travene the  Spanish  constitution.  The 
central  government,  however,  has  so  far 
failed  to  take  up  the  issue.  Rumours  are 
circulating  that  planned  reforms  of  the 
military  code,  upcoming  this  year,  may 
actually  stiffen  the  penalties  for  consent- 
ing homosexual  activity  within  the 
forces.  □ 

Greek  paper  faces 
new  round  of  charges 

ATHENS  —The  Greek  government  has 
once  again  moved  to  silence  the  Greek 
gay  magazine  Kraximo.  A  third  round  of 
charges  will  be  heard  June  25. 

The  small  libertarian-socialist  tabloid, 
published  on  pink  paper  by  Paola,  a 
well-known  Athens  transvestite,  success- 
fully defended  itself  against  indecency 
charges  laid  in  September  1982,  but  was 
found  guilty  on  December  1, 1983  of  a 
second  charge  concerning  a  drawing  of 
two  naked  men  after  Paola  refused  to 
summon  defence  witnesses.  The  most  re- 
cent charges,  laid  in  April,  concern  the 
same  drawing,  and  cite  other  "immoral" 
passages  in  the  same  issue.  As  well, 
Paola  is  charged  with  "insulting 
authority." 

The  law  on  insults  to  authority  was  in- 
stated by  the  military  dictatorship  and 
was  to  have  been  replaced  by  another 
law,  which  states  that  the  "criticism  of  a 
person  possessing  a  public  position  how- 
ever high  cannot  be  considered  an  insult 
against  authority." 

In  the  offending  paragraph,  Paola 
criticized  the  prosecutor  in  the  second 
round  of  charges.  "Three  months  after 
the  circulation  of  the  third  issue,  the 
well-known  supporter  of  'morality,'  Mr 
Theophanopoulos,  decided  to  prosecute 
it  with  the  renowned  Metaxic  law  about 
indecency,  which  mangles  the  spontan- 
eity and  authenticity  of  human  desire.  Of 
course  there  was  nothing  in  Kraximo  to 
warrant  this  criminal  prosecution."  If 
Paola  is  found  guilty,  this  paragraph 
could  earn  him  a  three-year  prison 
sentence. 

The  new  charges  came  at  a  time  of  in- 


20  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY/AUGUST  1984 


creasing  police  violence  against  Athens 
gays  and  transvestites,  including  raids 
and  arbitrary  arrests. 

Kraximo  is  asking  that  letters  of  protest 
be  sent  to  Minister  of  Justice  A  Magakis, 
Ministry  of  Justice,  Socratous  and 
Zinonos  2,  Athens,  Greece  with  copies 
and,  if  possible,  donations  to  help  in  the 
fight  to  Kraximo,  c/o  Magazine  AMPHI, 
6A  Zalloggou  St,  Athens  142,  Greece.  □ 

Anti-pom  bill  passes; 
bookstores  fight  back 

INDIANAPOLIS  —  A  bill  outlawing 
pornography  as  a  form  of  sex  discrimin- 
ation has  been  signed  by  Mayor  William 
Hudnut,  making  Indianapolis  the  first 
US  city  to  adopt  such  a  law. 

The  ordinance  is  modelled  on  one 
written  for  the  city  of  Minneapolis  by 
feminists  Catharine  MacKinnon  and 
Andrea  Dworkin,  which  was  vetoed 
earlier  this  year.  It  supposedly  protects 
women  from  "discriminatory  practices 
of  sexual  subordination  or  inequality" 
and  states  that  pornography  has  the  "ef- 
fect (of)  denying  women  equal  oppor- 
tunity in  society."  Pornography  is  de- 
fined as  "the  sexually  explicit  subordina- 
tion of  women  graphically  depicted  whe- 
ther in  pictures  or  in  words"  and  includ- 
ing pain,  humiliation,  pleasure  in  being 
raped,  penetration  by  objects  or  ani- 
mals or  scenes  of  degradation  in  a  sexual 
context.  Complainants  are  given  cause 
for  civil  action  through  the  Office  for 
Equal  Opportunity  against  "perpetra- 
tors, makers,  distributors,  sellers  and  ex- 
hibitors" under  sections  covering  "traf- 
ficking of  pornography,"  "coercion  into 
pornographic  performance,"  and  "as- 
sault or  physical  attack  due  to  pornogra- 
phy." The  statute  calls  for  establishment 
of  an  "equal  opportunity  advisory 
board"  to  review  complaints  before  they 
are  brought  before  the  courts. 

The  amendment  was  introduced  to  the 
Indianapolis /Marion  County  Council  by 
conservative  Republican  councilwoman 
Beulah  Coughenour.  Coughenour  is  op- 
posed to  the  Equal  Rights  Amendment 
and  to  legalized  abortion,  and  has  called 
civil-rights  protection  for  gays  and  les- 
bians "artificial"  and  "irrelevant."  She 
and  Charlee  Hoyt,  the  liberal  feminist 
sponsor  of  the  Minneapolis  bill,  both 
claim  to  share  common  ground  on  the 
issue  of  pornography. 

The  day  after  the  ordinance  became 
law,  several  bookstores,  one  with  a  large 
gay  clientele,  were  raided  and  the  owners 
and  managers  charged  under  Indiana 
obscenity  laws. 

The  new  law  has  already  been  chal- 
lenged as  unconstitutional  by  an  associa- 
tion of  publishers,  distributors  and 
sellers  of  books  and  magazines. 

A  special  task  force  set  up  in  Minnea- 
polis after  its  ordinance  was  vetoad  fin- 
ished work  on  May  8.  It  is  unlikely  that 
the  question  will  be  revived,  as  the  task 
force  found  the  proposed  amendment 
"not  actionable. "□ 

Reagan's  special  bill 
to  battle  kiddie  pom 

WASHINGTON  —  US  President 
Ronald  Reagan  recently  signed  a  special 
bill  on  the  "Sexual  Exploitation  of  Chil- 
dren" that  will  increase  fines  for  traf- 
ficking in  pornography  featuring  chil- 
dren, raise  the  age  of  persons  considered 
children  from  16  to  18,  and  increase  the 
powers  of  the  Department  of  Justice  to 
investigate  and  prosecute  recipients  of 
kiddie  porn. 


Bill  HR3635  authorizes  more  wiretap- 
ping, removes  obscenity  requirements 
for  confiscation  of  mail  by  US  Customs 
and  eliminates  requirements  that  only 
material  intended  for  commercial  pur- 
poses can  be  seized. 

The  bill  also  paves  the  way  for  expan- 
sion of  a  project  set  up  by  Customs  in 
New  York  City,  Chicago  and  Denver  to 
intercept  shipments  of  child  pornogra- 
phy originating  in  Scandinavia.  Customs 
has  compiled  a  list  of  6,000  "potential 
recipients"  of  pornography  in  the  three 
test  cities.  Jim  Mahan,  public-affairs 
spokesperson  for  Customs  in  Washing- 
ton DC,  told  The  Weekly  News  that 
Customs  was  only  stopping  "suspicious- 
looking  mail  addressed  to  people  (they) 
know  to  be  child  molesters,  or  to  those 
suspected  of  dealing  in  child  pornogra- 
phy." He  said  Customs  was  concerned 
with  stopping  shipments  to  "known 
pedophiles,' '  but  said  they  would  not 
"necessarily"  confiscate  mail  addressed 
to  members  of  the  North  American 
Man /Boy  Love  Association. 

Reagan  signed  the  bill  at  the  end  of  a 
two-day  conference  on  pornography 
sponsored  by  the  justice  department  and 
attended  by  US  attorneys  (the  equivalent 
of  Crown  attorneys),  post-office  work- 
ers, local  law-enforcement  officers  and 
FBI  members.  The  only  Canadian 
attending  was  David  Scott,  of  the  Toron- 
to-based Action  Group  on  Media  Por- 
nography. Scott  chaired  a  symposium  in 
Toronto  in  February  (see  TBP,  March) 
on  "Media  Violence  and  Pornography," 
which  was  dominated  by  20  US '  'experts," 
including  the  Surgeon  General  and  a 
representative  of  the  FBI,  all  claiming  to 
prove  links  between  porn  and  violent 
behaviour. 

In  addition  to  the  special  bill,  Reagan 
also  announced  that  a  commission  is  be- 
ing established  by  US  Attorney-General 
William  French  Smith  to  "study  the 
dimensions  of  the  problem."  The  Nixon 
administration  established  a  similar 
commission  in  1970,  which  concluded 
that  there  was  no  link  between  violence 
and  pornography.  Reagan  and  David 
Scott  have  both  stated  that  they  believe 
the  issue  needs  to  be  re-examined.  □ 

US  Methodists  vote 
to  ban  gay  ministers 

BALTIMORE  —  The  national  confer- 
ence of  the  United  Methodist  Church 
has  voted  not  to  allow  the  ordination  of 
gay  and  lesbian  candidates  for  the  minis- 
try. The  one  thousand  delegates  voted 
568  to  404  to  adopt  a  statement  that 
read,  in  part,  that  the  "practice"  of 
homosexuality  is  "incompatible  with 
Christian  teaching." 

The  debate  over  ordination  for  gay 
people  began  in  1972  when  Rev  Gene 
Leggett  of  Dallas  came  out  and  was  sub- 
sequently ousted  from  the  ministry  by 
the  church.  Since  that  time,  Rev  Julian 
Rush  of  Denver  and  Rev  Paul  Abels  of 
New  York  City  revealed  that  they  were 
gay,  but  they  were  allowed  to  remain  in 
the  pulpit. 

Conference  delegates  had  originally 
voted  4%  to  474  against  the  explicit  ban 
on  gay  clergy,  asking  that  the  Book  of 
Discipline  call  for  "fidelity  in  marriage 
and  celibacy  in  singleness."  Liberals 
referred  to  the  compromise  as  the 
"seven  last  words"  —  the  phrase  that 
refers  to  Christ's  last  words  on  the  cross. 
The  Judicial  Council  ruled  that  "fidelity 
in  marriage  and  celibacy  in  singleness" 
would  not  necessarily  prevent  gay  men 
and  lesbians  who  were  willing  to  remain 
celibate  from  being  ordained;  the  dele- 
gates then  adopted  the  original  ban  in  a 


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second  vote.  The  constitutionality  of  the 
statement  in  the  Book  of  Discipline  has 
been  called  into  question,  so  the  ques- 
tion is  not  officially  settled.  The  Judicial 
Council  will  make  a  final  ruling  in  late 
October.  □ 

New  rales  for  police 
may  end  entrapment 

LONDON  —  British  Junior  Home 
Office  Minister  David  Mellor  has  an- 
nounced in  the  House  of  Commons  that 
new  guidelines  will  be  issued  to  plain- 
clothes police  officers  regarding  investi- 
gation of  gay  offences.  Although  Mellor 
did  not  elaborate,  UPI  reports  that  a 
government  source  claims  regulations 
will  end  entrapment  of  gay  men  by 
police. 

The  new  regulations  may  have  some- 
thing to  do  with  two  of  the  latest  catches 
in  the  English  police  net.  The  announce- 
ment of  the  changes  was  made  only  two 
days  after  the  resignation  of  Keith 
Hampson,  parliamentary  private  secre- 
tary to  Defence  Secretary  Michael 
Hesseltine.  Hampson  was  arrested  in  the 
Gay  Theatre  Club,  a  strip  club  in  the 
Soho  district  of  London,  and  charged 
with  indecently  assaulting  a  policeman. 
Club  manager  Russell  McLeod  told  the 
London  Daily  Telegraph  that  plain- 
clothes officers  habitually  act  as  "agents 
provocateurs"  in  disputes  at  the  club. 

Earlier  in  May,  Sir  Peter  Hayman, 
former  High  Commissioner  to  Canada, 
was  convicted  of  gross  indecency  after 
an  incident  in  a  public  washroom  last 
February.  Hayman  pleaded  not  guilty, 
claiming  through  his  laywer  that  he 
"merely  succumbed  in  a  moment  of 
complete  weakness."  He  apologized  to 
the  court,  his  family  and  his  friends  for 
what  happened. 

Although  two  police  officers  claim  to 
have  seen  an  unspecified  "indecent  act" 
take  place  between  Hayman  and  truck- 
driver  Leonard  Beach,  Beach  claims  a 
uniformed  policeman  knocked  on  the 
door  before  sex  occurred. □ 

NOW  swings  weight 
behind  NJ  rights  bill 

TRENTON  —  National  Organization  of 
Women  (NOW)  President  Judy  Gold- 
smith announced  her  organization's  sup- 
port for  the  effort  to  pass  a  state  lesbian 
and  gay  rights  bill  at  the  State  Assembly 
here  May  23. 

Bill  A1721  would  amend  the  New 
Jersey  Law  Against  Discrimination  by 
adding  sexual  orientation  to  the  pro- 
tected categories.  It  was  introduced  into 
the  State  Assembly  in  March  1984  by 
Assemblyman  Bennett  Mazure  after 
consultation  with  gay  community 
organizations. 

NOW  also  announced  the  appoint- 
ment of  Rosemary  Dempsey  as  the  or- 
ganization's official  lobbyist  for  the  bill. 
Dempsey  will  be  working  to  develop 
support  for  the  bill  in  the  80-member 
House.  The  bill  presently  has  won  21 
sponsors  in  the  Assembly. 

NOW  first  expressed  its  support  for 
the  rights  of  lesbians  and  gay  men  in 
1971.  Its  support  for  the  New  Jersey 
campaign  is  part  of  its  "Lesbian  and 
Gay  Rights  '84"  project.  If  the  bill 
passes,  New  Jersey  will  be  the  second 
American  state  to  guarantee  gay  rights. 
(The  first  is  Wisconsin.) 

In  conjunction  with  the  NOW  press 
conference,  the  New  Jersey  Lesbian  and 
Gay  Coalition  released  the  results  of  a 
fall  1983  survey  of  discrimination 


against  lesbians  and  gay  men.  Of  those 
polled,  10.4  percent  had  lost  a  job  be- 
cause they  were  homosexual;  5.9  percent 
had  been  denied  housing;  39  percent  had 
been  harassed  at  a  hotel  or  restaurant 
and  17.1  percent  had  been  victims  of 
anti-gay  violence. 

"National  NOW  will  be  here  in  New 
Jersey  supporting  New  Jersey  NOW  and 
working  with  others  to  ensure  passage  of 
this  law,"  said  Goldsmith.  "We  know 
from  our  long  experience  in  working  for 
equal  rights  for  women  that  there  will  be 
those  who  will  oppose  us.  But  we  are 
confident  that  most  people  will  no  long- 
er tolerate  discrimination  in  any  form 
and  we  are  confident  that  our  voices  will 
be  heard ...  this  is  a  matter  of  simple 
justice."  □ 

Frequence  Gaie  coup 
brings  court  control 

PARIS  —  Frequence  Gai,  the  world's 
only  full-time  lesbian  and  gay  radio  sta- 
tion, was  placed  under  judicial  adminis- 
tration for  three  months  on  May  17,  after 
bitter  fighting  between  staff  and  a  few  an- 
nouncers who  sit  on  the  board  of  direct- 
ors spilled  out  into  the  French  courts. 

The  latest  crisis  at  the  station  was 
sparked  May  3  when  part  of  the  board  of 
directors  decided  to  dismiss  80  of  the  150 
announcers  who  work  at  the  station. 
Fearing  the  move  would  spark  a  major 
outcry,  a  few  of  them  removed  the  neces- 
sary broadcasting  equipment  and  locked 
themselves  in  at  the  transmission  site.  The 
station  was  off  the  air  for  24  hours  before 
staff  managed  to  evict  the  "pirates," 
repair  the  equipment  and  set  up  a  make- 
shift studio. 

Both  sides  in  the  dispute  appeared  with 
their  lawyers  before  a  court  of  referees 
May  15,  arguing  their  respective  rights 
and  powers  before  a  judge  who  seemed 
befuddled  by  the  complex  legal  structure 
of  the  volunteer-run  station.  The  station 
is  financed  by  listeners,  and  all  those  who 
work  on  the  station  elect  both  the  board 
of  directors  and  a  board  of  production.  It 
appears  that  conflict  between  these  two 
boards  and  confusion  concerning  their 
respective  responsibilities  is  at  the  root  of 
the  present  dispute. 

The  deadlock  in  the  court  was  finally 
broken  when  the  lawyer  representing 
Genevieve  Pastre,  former  president  of 
Frequence  Gai,  and  three  other  directors 
not  involved  in  the  "coup"  against  the 
announcers,  argued  that  the  situation  was 
so  complicated  and  serious  that  only  the 
naming  of  an  impartial  provisional  ad- 
ministrator could  possibly  keep  the  sta- 
tion functioning. 

When  the  judge  decided  on  this  course  . 
of  action,  the  four  directors  who  had 
sparked  the  crisis  cut  the  connection  be- 
tween the  station's  studio  and  the  trans- 
mitter, and  for  the  second  time  in  ten 
days  staff  set  up  a  makeshift  studio  at  the 
transmission  site  while  they  waited  for  a 
new  administrator  to  be  officially 
appointed. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  new  administrator 
will  be  able  to  sort  out  the  tangle  of  per- 
sonal and  power  disputes  that  threaten  to 
tear  the  station  apart  and  deprive  the 
French  gay  community  of  one  of  its  most 
important  resources.  □ 

World  News  credits 

Bay  Area  Reporter,  San  Francisco;  Washing/on 
Bladeand  NOW  Press  Release,  Washinton,  DC; 
Campaign,  Robert  French  and  Ken  Lovett,  Sydney; 
Yanni  Vassilas,  Athens;  GaiPiedzni  Homophonies, 
Paris;  Madrid  Gai,  Madrid ;  Gay  Community  News, 
Boston;  GLC  Voice,  Minneapolis;  The  Weekly  News, 
Miami;  Gay  News,  Philadelphia;  Dallas  Gay  News, 
Dallas;  San  Diego  Gayzette,  San  Diego;  New  York 
Native,  New  York . 


22  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


The  most  recent  AIDS  media  blitz 
featured  the  discovery  of  the 
"cause"  of  acquired  immune  defi- 
jj:j:j:j:j:;:j:j  ciency  syndrome.  US  scientists 
SSSiw  were  busy  tripping  over  each  other 
either  to  claim  credit  or  to  give  it  away  to 
the  French.  It  was  nearly  a  week  before 
they  bothered  to  explain  exactly  what  it 
was  that  had  been  discovered. 

Several  highly  respected  newspapers 
ran  equivocal  headlines  over  say-nothing 
stories.  On  April  19,  for  example,  The 
Boston  Globe  said:  "Virus  believed  to 
cause  AIDS  is  reportedly  identified."  And 
three  days  later:  "US  to  identify  virus  as 
AIDS  cause."  After  Secretary  of  Health 
and  Human  Services  Margaret  Heckler's 
press  conference  on  April  23,  they  said, 
"Virus  tied  to  AIDS  is  identified,  doctor 
says." 

It  was  not  until  Sunday  the  24th  that 
the  New  York  Times' s  Science  section 
deigned  to  explain  in  detail  what  the  scien- 
tific part  of  the  fuss  was  about:  the  devel- 
opment by  Dr  Robert  Gallo  of  the  Na- 
tional Institute  of  Health's  National  Can- 
cer Institute,  in  Bethesda,  Maryland,  of  a 
special  super-cell  that  could  harbour 
human  T-lymphotropic  virus-Ill  (HTLV- 
III)  long  enough  to  cultivate  that  virus  in 
large  quantities.  HTLV-III,  Gallo  believes, 
is  the  primary  cause  of  AIDS. 

Gallo 's  development  was  important  be- 
cause scientists  need  to  produce  sufficient 
quantities  of  suspect  viruses  in  order  to 
duplicate  in  the  laboratory  the  natural 
progression  of  any  viral  disease  in 
humans.  Ultimately,  they  must  duplicate 
the  illness  in  laboratory  animals  in  order 
to  develop  a  vaccine. 

The  difference  between  finding  a  virus 
and  figuring  out  how  to  mass-produce  it 
is  both  scientifically  and  professionally 
significant  for  competitive  researchers. 
Inventing  tools  and  techniques  reeks  of 
manufacturing,  while  the  discovery  of  a 
new  source  of  evil  for  the  boys  in  white  to 
gun  down  is  heroic.  If  you  discover  both 
the  virus  and  the  technique,  you  are  prac- 
tically a  god.  That  is  exactly  what  Gallo 
claimed  to  have  done. 

There  was,  however,  one  hitch.  The 
Institute  Pasteur  in  Paris  had  already  an- 
nounced, almost  a  year  before,  that  it  had 
isolated  lymphadenopathy-associated 
virus  (LAV),  which  their  studies  indicate  is 
the  likely  cause  of  AIDS. 

The  Centers  for  Disease  Control  (CDC) 
in  Atlanta,  the  other  major  US  govern- 
ment research  facility  investigating  AIDS 
along  with  the  National  Institute  of 
Health  (NIH),  has  consistently  credited 
the  French  with  the  discovery  of  the  likely 
agents  causing  AIDS.  James  O  Mason, 
head  of  the  CDC,  congratulated  Gallo  for 
development  of  a  new  method  for  produ- 
cing large  quantities  of  HTLV-lll  in  the 
laboratory.  But  that  was  all.  The  hint  was 
that  the  NIH  had  been  less  than  vigorous 
in  pursuing  the  French  LAV  —  which 
might  be  the  same  virus  as  HTLV-III. 
Clearly,  something  was  amiss  between  the 
boys  in  Bethesda  and  their  colleagues  in 
Atlanta. 

The  NIH,  Margaret  Heckler  and  even 
the  Times,  once  they  had  caught  the  drift 
of  what  was  happening,  told  the  story  a 
little  differently.  The  French  discovery 
took  a  back  seat  to  the  development  of 
the  process  to  mass-produce  HTLV-III. 
God-like  status  was  to  be  secured  for  the 
US  "team"  in  the  AIDS  Olympics. 

No  one  wants  to  come  out  and  accuse 
doctors  of  obstructing  AIDS  research, 
although  Dr  Roger  Enlow,  Director  of 
the  Office  of  Gay  and  Lesbian  Health 
Concerns  in  the  department  of  health  in 
New  York  City,  came  fairly  close.  Enlow, 
the  key  player  in  the  political  arena  of  the 
AIDS  fight,  wrote  in  a  letter  to  the  New 
York  Native,  "...given  that  Dr  Gallo  and 
associates  have  been  able  to  grow  HI  I  V 


ANALYSIS 


TLVIII 


Announcement  of  the  discovery 

of  the  "cause"  of  AIDS  has  led  to  a  lot  of 

high  hopes,  but  a  look  behind  the 

headlines  shows  that  the  battle  may 

have  just  begun. 

A  report  by  Cindy  Patton 


III  from  as  many  as  fifty  different  speci- 
mens from  as  many  different  individuals, 
and  the  fact  that  others,  most  notably  the 
group  at  the  Institute  Pasteur,  have  iso- 
lated T-lymphotropic  virus  (LAV),  it  is  in- 
conceivable to  me  that  Dr  Gallo  and  his 
co-workers  have  been  to  date  unable  to 
consider  LAV  at  least  as  fully  as  his  other 
isolates.  LAV  has  been  available  to  him 
repeatedly  and  must  have  been  placed  in- 
to culture  with  his  innovative  cell  line 
from  which  he  so  readily  grows  these 
others.  Evidence  that  these  viral  isolates 
and  others  from  around  the  world  are 
one  and  the  same  would  add  essential  evi- 
dence that  these  isolates  cause  the  disease 
we  now  call  AIDS.  Withholding  or  ob- 
scuring such  information  is  reprehensible 
behavior  of  the  gravest  sort." 

• 
We  need  to  believe  that  doctors,  and  by 
extension  medical  researchers,  are  acting 
in  our  interests.  But  medicine  and  medi- 
cal research  are,  in  fact,  major  industries, 
motivated  by  prestige  and  money.  The  re- 
searcher is  given  grants  based  on  her  or 
his  past  work;  the  more  impressive  it  has 
been,  the  more  likely  one  is  to  receive  fur- 
ther funding.  And  the  various  chemical 
and  drug  companies,  closely  connected 
with  some  of  the  top  researchers  in  every 
field,  are  waiting  in  the  wings  with  their 
patent  lawyers.  Medical  and  scientific  dis- 
coveries do  not  end  up  in  the  public  do- 
main. Mere  mortals  only  benefit  from 
these  rarified  bits  of  genius  when  they 
trickle  down  into  actual  drugs  and  tests 
—  all  at  a  hefty  cost  to  the  consumer. 

Gallo,  because  of  his  years  of  research 
on  the  HTL  family  of  viruses,  was  asked 
to  be  a  scientific  advisor  to  Cambridge 
BioScience,  a  major  biotechnology  firm 
which  has  applied  for  patents  on  HTL 
viruses  in  17  countries.  The  company  re- 
scinded its  offer  to  Gallo,  however,  be- 
cause of  confusion  over  whether  NIH  pol- 
icy permits  senior  scientists  to  serve  as 
consultants  to  private  firms.  But  crass 
commercialism  remains  a  problem  for  the 
future.  If  HTLV-lll  proves  to  be  the  agent 
responsible  for  AIDS,  Cambridge  Bio- 
Science  will  be  the  primary  owner  of  the 
key  to  some  of  the  most  important 
secrets  of  the  human  immune  system  — 
perhaps  even  the  answer  to  the  riddle  of 
cancer.  The  company's  research  pro- 
gramme will  be  very  lucrative:  future 
research  grants,  income  from  a  highly 
marketable  vaccine  and  other  AIDS 


related  products  —  and  possibly  a  Nobel 
Prize  —  are  at  stake. 

An  AIDS  vaccine,  however,  may  not 
pay  off  for  a  while.  Despite  Heckler's 
sweeping  claim  that  it  is  only  two  years 
away,  most  doctors  believe  it  is  unlikely 
that  a  vaccine  will  be  widely  available 
soon,  if  one  can  be  developed  at  all.  It 
took  nearly  ten  years  to  get  Hepatitis-B 
vaccine,  and  there  is  still  no  vaccine  for 
toxic  shock,  which  is  a  much  less  complex 
syndrome  than  the  elusive  AIDS. 

• 
The  discovery  of  HTLV-III  is  important  to 
our  understanding  of  AIDS.  But  equally 
important  are  the  gamma  interferon  trials 
and  other  experimental  treatment  pro- 
grammes which  seem  to  show  a  glimmer 
of  hope  that  those  with  AIDS  may  see  im- 
provement, at  least  for  a  while,  in  their 
condition.  Why  the  emphasis,  then,  on 
virus-hunting?  The  tip-off  was  emblaz- 
oned across  the  full-colour  USA  Today  of 
April  24:  "AIDS  test  to  cut  risk  in  trans- 
fusions." A  quick  and  easy  "safe  blood 


"A  quick  and  easy  'safe 
blood  test'  to  reassure 
the  nervous  general 
public  makes  better 
press  than  tentative 
measures  to  alleviate  the 
symptoms  of  the  small 
minority  of  people  who 
already  have 
AIDS." 


test"  to  protect  —  and  reassure  —  the 
nervous  general  public  makes  better  press 
than  tentative  measures  to  alleviate  the 
symptoms  of  the  small  minority  of  people 
who  already  have  AIDS. 

But  even  the  possibility  of  such  a  blood 
test  is  in  doubt.  To  date,  all  we  know  is 
that  HTLV-III/I  AV  is  linked  to  AIDS  in 
such  a  statistically  significant  number  of 
cases  that  it  may  be  considered  "the 
cause."  An  "AIDS  test"  wouldn't  look 
for  the  virus  itself,  but  for  an  antibod) .  a 
substance  produced  by  the  body  in  reac 
lion  to  the  presence  of  8  virus.  Hut  DO  one 
yet  knows  the  relationship  between  the 


presence  of  antibodies  and  exposure  to 
this  virus.  Do  people  have  antibodies  only 
when  the  virus  is  present?  Or  does  the 
presence  of  antibodies  indicate  that  one 
used  to  carry  a  virus  that's  now  been 
wiped  out?  Can  the  virus  be  present  with 
no  antibodies?  Does  the  virus  lay  dor- 
mant for  some  period  of  time  and  trigger 
antibodies  after  some  other  set  of 
unknown  factors  has  come  into  play? 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  research  ahead 
before  the  antibody  screening  technique 
for  this  virus  has  much  medical  meaning. 

Despite  the  lack  of  hard  medical  know- 
ledge about  such  a  test,  it  could  end  up 
being  used  as  a  legal  device  to  identify  in- 
fected people  and  institute  quarantines. 
Several  state  health  departments  in  the 
US  have  dusted  off  their  quarantine  stat- 
utes, and  all  that  is  missing  is  a  test  to  sep- 
arate those  who  should  be  quarantined 
from  those  who  shouldn't.  With  "AIDS 
tests"  grabbing  publicity,  some  people 
seem  to  think  they've  found  it. 

But  HTLV-III  doesn't  fit  the  bill.  We 
don't  yet  know  how  it  might  work  to 
cause  AIDS  —  or  even  whether  it  could  do 
so  all  by  itself.  AIDS  isn't  very  contagious, 
and  that  fact  has  led  many  researchers  to 
believe  that  a  primary  agent  must  work  in 
concert  with  other  factors  before  the  con- 
dition can  develop.  Host  factors  —  gene- 
tic makeup  or  past  medical  history  — 
may  make  some  people  more  susceptible 
to  infection,  and  co-factors  —  other  in- 
fectious agents  —  may  also  have  to  be 
present  before  AIDS  can  set  in.  It  is  even 
possible  that  HTLV-III  is  simply  another 
one  of  the  opportunistic  infections  that 
show  up  when  the  immune  system  is  sup- 
pressed, and  that  it  may  not  be  responsi- 
ble for  triggering  that  suppression. 

Still,  for  a  panicked  public,  the  idea  of 
a  simple  test  makes  quarantine  more 
tempting.  That  could  mean  anything 
from  barring  people  from  specific  jobs  to 
confining  those  who've  been  exposed  to 
HTLV-III,  from  the  policing  of  the  baths 
and  bushes  to  the  closing  of  gay 
establishments. 

We  can't  lay  all  the  doomsday  specula- 
tion at  the  establishment's  door,  how- 
ever. Parts  of  the  gay  community  in  San 
Francisco  participated  in  banning  sex 
from  the  baths.  A  little  bit  of  medical 
knowledge  can  be  dangerous  thing.  As  we 
keep  a  watchful  and  skeptical  eye  on 
scientists  sorting  out  these  discoveries,  we 
must  also  keep  a  clear  view  of  where  we 
stand. 

The  rudimentary  discovery  of  HTLV-lll 
cannot  be  passed  off  as  the  end  of  AIDS. 
We  have  several  more  years  before  a  vac- 
cine is  available,  years  in  which  people 
who  have  not  been  exposed  to  AIDS  may 
contract  it.  If  the  current  rate  of  increase 
continues,  we  may  be  facing  30,000  cases 
in  the  US  alone  before  this  discovery 
means  anything  to  us,  or  to  the  life  of  the 
fragile  community  we've  worked  so  hard 
to  build.  The  personal  and  collective 
crises  we  face  in  that  community  are  not 
over  —  and  the  political  battle  has  barely 
begun.  We  have  to  maintain  pressure  on 
funding  and  watchdog  agencies  to  be  sure 
that  research  doesn't  end  with  publicity- 
rousing  blood  tests.  Educational  efforts 
must  continue  so  we  can  make  informed 
choices  when  the  time  comes  for  individ- 
ual or  group  decisions  about  the  conduct 
of  our  sexual  and  political  lives. 

No  solution  to  AIDS  will  be  complete 
until  we  are  neither  blamed  for  the  dis- 
ease, nor  forced  to  live  in  fear  for  our 
lives.  D 


(  uulv  Patton,  a  former  managing  atuc 

Boston's  ("iv  (  ommiinilv  Sens,  currently  in 
i-\ilc  m  Provincetown,  />.  working  on  a  /xx>A 
on  the  politics  oj  AIDS,  tentatively  titled 
Diseast  iinii  l  ihiriiiion.  to  be  published  b)  iin 

South  I  nil  /V(-w 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  I  1  JULY/AUOl  S  I   |>>S4       23 


ART 

IAN  THOM 

□JAC.  Paintings  and  drawings,  with  new 
work,  by  the  gay  art  collective  made  up  of 
John  Grube,  Alex  Liros  and  Clarence  Barnes. 
Punchinello  Gallery,  204A  Baldwin  St 
(593-5054).  June  20  to  July  8.  Opening  June 
20,  8  pm.  Regular  hours:  Thurs-Sun,  1-5  pm. 

□  David  Hockney.  Hockney  is  all  over  town 
these  days.  The  big  show  at  the  Art  Gallery  of 
Ontario  (317  Dundas  St  W,  977-0414),  and 
smaller  shows  of  prints  at  the  Albert  White 
(25  Prince  Arthur,  923-8804)  and  Mira 
Godard  (22  Hazelton,  964-8*197)  provide  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  see  the  extent  and 
quality  of  his  work. 

□  Loring-Wyle  Parkette.  Four  works  (inclu- 
ding busts  of  each  other)  by  the  late  sculptors 
Frances  Loring  and  Florence  Wyle  have  been 
installed  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Mt  Plea- 
sant and  St  Clair,  near  the  old  church  in 
which  the  two  lived  and  worked  together  for 
almost  60  years.  They  are  worth  a  visit,  par- 
ticularly Wyle's  The  Harvester. 

□  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  Studies  for  The  Last  Sup- 
per, some  of  the  most  magnificent  drawings 
ever  created.  Through  Aug  12  at  the  Art  Gallery 
of  Ontario,  317  Dundas  St  W  (977-0414). 

Dressing  Up.  "An  off-the-wall  fashion 
show  and  dance  party,"  produced  by  Tim 
Jocelyn,  and  featuring  a  crowd  of  local  artists 
dressing  themselves  up  to  celebrate  summer. 
Art  Gallery  at  Harbourfront,  235  Queen's 
Quay  W.  June  2 1 ,  9  pm .  Tickets  $6  at  869-84 1 2 
or  BASS. 

^The  Canadian  Bodybuilder.  A  show  of 
competition  photographs  for  the  connoisseur 
of  muscle.  Through  June  30.  Lemos  Galeria 
461  KingStE.Tues-Sat,  12-4. 

□  Altered  Situations/Changing  Strategies:  The 
Canadian  Worker  in  the  Art  of  the  80s.  A 
group  show  including  work  by  Michael  Con- 
stable, Lisa  Steele,  and  the  cultural  magazine 
FUSE.  Through  July  21 .  A  Space,  204  Spadina 
Ave  (364-3227). 

Georgian  Canada  —  Conflict  and  Culture. 
A  splendid  array  of  art  and  artifacts,  celebra- 
ting Ontario's  bicentennial,  through  Oct  21  at 
the  Royal  Ontario  Museum,  100  Queen's  Park 
(Mon-Sat,  10-8,  Sun  10-6).  There  is  also  a  fine 
little  show  of  prints  and  watercolours  in  the 
Canadiana  Bldg,  14  Queen's  Park  W  (Mon- 
Sat  10-5,  Sun  1-5),  through  the  summer. 


JON  KAPLAN 

Misfit.  A  performance-art  piece  by  David 
McLean  about  the  "outsider"  in  society. 
The  single  character  is  a  gay  man  whose  idol 
is  Marilyn  Monroe.  July  25,  8  pm.  Club 
Rivoli,  334  Queen  St  W.  596-1908. 

Privates  on  Parade.  The  original  stage  ver- 
sion of  Peter  Nichols's  work  about  how  Brit- 
ish troops  in  the  Far  East  entertained  them- 
selves —  drag  shows  appear  to  have  been  of 
maximum  importance.  This  Theatre  Plus  ver- 
sion features  Tom  Kneebone.  July  23-Aug  18. 
St  Lawrence  Centre,  27  Front  St  E.  366-7723. 

□  Top  Girls.  Caryl  Churchill's  most  success- 
ful work  after  Cloud  9,  about  the  means  that 
a  woman  has  to  use  to  achieve  success  in  a 
male  world.  Through  July  1,  with  possible 
holdover.  Tarragon  Theatre,  30  Bridgman 
Ave.  531-1827. 

□  Death  in  Venice.  Benjamin  Britten's  last 
opera,  based  on  the  Mann  novella  about  an 
aging  artist  seeking  supreme  beauty  and 
finding  it  in  a  young  boy.  The  work,  present- 
ed as  part  of  the  Toronto  International  Festi- 
val, is  as  much  about  aesthetic  ideals  as  it  is 
about  physical  beauty.  June  24,  26,  28,  30. 
O'Keefe  Centre,  Front  &  Yonge.  766-3271. 

_  Yankees  at  York.  Theatre  Autumn  Angel's 
celebration  of  the  Toronto  and  Ontario 


JAC   •   NEW  WORKS  AT  PUNCHINELLO  FROM  JUNE  20 


birthday  festivities,  done  at  historic  Fort 
York  and  featuring  giant  puppets,  dance, 
and  other  theatrical  effects.  The  script  is  by 
Sky  Gilbert;  the  music  is  by  Micah  Barnes. 
Through  July  29.  365-0533. 

□  Trafford  Tanzi.  The  National  Arts  Centre 
production  of  Claire  Luckham's  innovative 
look  at  the  battle  of  sexual  politics,  in  which 
Tanzi  literally  half-nelsons  her  way  through 
life  in  order  to  become  an  independent  per- 
son —  the  theatre  becomes  a  wrestling  arena 
for  the  main  event.  In  collaboration  with 
Toronto  Free  Theatre.  Through  June  24.  26 
Berkeley  St.  368-2856. 

Deathtrap.  York  Centennial  Theatre  pre- 
sents a  local  version  of  Ira  Levin's  play 
about  an  established  playwright  and  his 
handsome  young  "protege."  Alumnae  Thea- 
tre, 70  Berkeley  St.  364-4170. 
DA  Taste  of  Honey.  Shelagh  Delaney's  1958 
play  about  disaffected  youth  in  a  lower-class 
British  tenement.  The  central  character  is  be- 
friended by  a  gay  artist  who  lives  in  her 
building.  Through  July  14.  Theatre  Plus,  St 
Lawrence  Centre,  27  Front  St  E.  366-7723. 
DA  Midsummer  Night's  Dream.  Toronto 
Free  Theatre  expects  about  60,000  people  to 
see  their  new  outdoor  production  (directed  by 
R  H  Thomson)  of  Shakespeare's  comedy.  The 
stage  is  just  east  of  the  Grenadier  Restaurant 
in  the  middle  of  High  Park;  it  is  suggested  that 
patrons  bring  blankets.  Free.  July  14-Aug  12, 
Tues-Sun,  8  pm,  and  Wed,  2:30  pm. 
Confirm  on  day  of  performance  at  368-2856. 

□  Shaw  Festival.  Summer  entries  include  re- 
vivals of  last  year's  excellent  Private  Lives, 
starring  Fiona  Reid  and  artistic  director 


Christopher  Newton,  and  of  Coward's  early 
play  The  Vortex,  a  work  about  the  dark  side 
of  the  "bright  young  things"  of  the  '20s. 
Niagara-on-the-Lake,  Ontario.  361-1544 
(toll-free  Toronto  line). 

□  Stratford  Festival.  While  classics  like 
Romeo  and  Juliet  and  A  Midsummer  Night 's 
Dream  play  the  main  theatre,  the  Avon 
Theatre  devotes  itself  to  Gilbert  &  Sullivan. 
Returning  from  past  seasons  are  The 
Mikado,  all  lustrous  Japanese  design  and 
pleasant  melodies;  The  Gondoliers,  a  lesser- 
known  work  that  presents  Douglas  Cham- 
berlain as  the  Duchess  of  Plaza-Toro;  and 
the  new  entry  this  year,  lolanthe,  featuring 
Maureen  Forrester  as  the  Queen  of  the 
Fairies  (reputedly  to  be  flown  onto  the  stage 
by  nineteenth-century  equipment).  The  dil- 
emma of  Strephon,  the  operetta's  hero,  is 
that  he  is  a  mortal  from  the  waist  up  and  a 
fairy  from  the  waist  down.  All  three  produc- 
tions are  directed  by  Brian  Macdonald.  In 
repertory.  Stratford,  Ontario.  363-4471  (toll- 
free  Toronto  line). 

DANCE 

RON  BEN-ISRAEL 

□  Pina  Bausch's  Tanztheater  Wuppertal.  The 

best  modern  dance  theatre  company  in  the 
world  today.  While  harking  back  to  the  pre- 
Hitler  German  theatre  tradition,  Bausch  ex- 
plores modern  sexual  and  political  issues, 
especially  the  subjugation  of  women.  Two 
programmes,  Cafe  Muller  and  Le  Sacre  du 
Printemps  (June  26,  27  and  28)  and  1980 
(June  29  and  30).  Ryerson  Theatre,  43  Ger- 


□  The  Not-So-Great  Movie.  Frankie  Avalon 
and  a  buddy  don  women's  clothing  to  infil- 
trate a  girls'  skiing  school,  in  the  1965  double- 
star  Ski  Party.  CITY-TV,  June  24,  2:30  pm. 

CINEMA 

GLEND0N  McKINNEY 

□  Une  Journee  en  Taxi.  This  quiet,  leisurely 
Quebec  film  has  similarities  to  another 
superb  French  film,  Entre  Nous.  What  the 
women  of  that  film  knew  instinctively,  the 
need  for  love  in  friendship,  the  two  men  in 
Taxi  must  learn.  One  is  serving  an  eight-year 
prison  term,  out  on  a  36-hour  leave,  and  the 
other  is  a  widowed  taxi  driver  he  hires  to 
chauffeur  him  through  Montreal  in  search  of 
those  responsible  for  his  imprisonment.  Both 
labour  under  emotional  restrictions  placed 
on  them  by  the  world  and  by  themselves. 
They  learn,  together,  what  it  is  to  be  human, 
and  their  journey  to  friendship  is  well  worth 
watching.  (Carlton  Cineplex). 

□  Privates  on  Parade.  Unlike  the  overrated 
La  Cage  aux  Folles,  this  film  loves  its  char- 
acters. We  always  laugh  with  them,  not  at 
them,  and  the  spectacle  of  wonderfully  anar- 
chist poofs  confronting  the  relentlessly 
straight,  awesomely  naive  John  Cleese  makes 
for  some  terrific  laughs.  (Carlton  Cineplex 
and  Market  Square). 

□The  Fourth  Man.  See  box  p  27. 


NIGHTLIFE 


•  Members  of  Lambda  Business  Council 

Check  TBP's  Key  to  Summer  '84  in 
Toronto  on  page  29  for  a  map  showing 
locations  of  places  listed  here. 

RESTAURANTS 

Bemelman's  Fashionably  cruisy  pop  singles  bar,  pricey 
restaurant.  83  Bloor  St  W  960-0306. 
DCatt  New  Orleans.  Best  people-peeking  perch  In  town 
(it'll  take  your  mind  off  the  tood).  Patio  always  packed.  618 
Yonge  St.  922-2439 

•  Les  Cavaliers.  Continental  menu,  daily  specials.  418 

Church  St.  977-4702. 

Chaps  Cafe  Noon-9  pm,  including  $1 .99  soup/sand- 
wich lunch  special.  $5-$6  range  9  Isabella  St,  921-3012. 

Church  Street  Can).  Popular  brunch  locale  in  the  heart  ot 
the  ghetto.  Daily  to  12,  Sun:  10  am-5pm.  485  Church  St. 
925-1155. 

•  Crispins/Buddy's.  Innovative  cuisine,  great  wines. 

Brunch:  $6.95.  66  Gerrard  St  E.  977-1919. 

•  Crow  Bar.  Full  menu,  easy  atmosphere,  with  popular  pix 
shown  at  8  pm,  Mon-Fri.  10  Breadalbane  (behind  Parkside 

Tavern).  923-6136. 

•  18  East  Hotel  &  Tavern.  Inexpensive  home-cooked 

meals.  Sunday  brunch  $3.95. 18  Eastern  Ave.  368-4040. 

DFare  Exchange.  Small  neighbourhood  caf6. 4  Irwin  Ave 

923-5924. 

DThe  Fat  Squirrel.  At  Cornelius  579  Yonge  St.  967-4666 

I    Fenton's.  The  one  place  to  go  if  you've  only  one  place  to 

go  (and  can  afford  it).  Less  expensive  room  downstairs.  2 

Gloucester  St.  961-8485 

Golden  Griddle.  Pancakes,  etc,  inexpensive  place  for 
Sunday  brunch.  45  Carlton  St.  977-5044. 

•  Jennie's.  Chic  restaurant  Live  music  Fri-Sun  nights; 
Sunday  brunch  360  Queen  St  E  (at  Parliament).  861-1461 

•  Lipstick.  Daytime  meals,  late  night  snacks,  and  loud 

music.  4:30  pm-3  am  (4  am  weekends).  580  Parliament  St 
922-6655. 


24  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY  /AUGUST  1984 


II 


II 


ANNIE  LENNOX 

EURYTHMIC8 

KINGSWOOD  MUSIC  THEATRE 

WED  •  AUGUST  8 


•  Pimblett's.  Gaudy,  friendly  British  pub.  Import  draught, 
desserts.  249  Gerrard  St  E.  929-9525. 

"Queen  Mother  CahS.  New  wave,  artsy  crowd,  with  ima- 
ginative eats.  206  Queen  St  W.  598-4719. 

•  Raclette  French  cuisine  and  great  by-the-glass  wine  list 
361  Queen  St  W.  593-0934. 

DRivoli.  Exotic  snacks,  inventive  specials  and  a  colourful 
crowd  334  Queen  St  W.  596-1908. 

Le  Select  Bistro.  Bistro  lunches  and  late  night  dining. 
328  Queen  St  W.  596-6405 
□  Sgana  Landing.  Patio  restaurant.  Seafood,  "tour  of 
France"  specials.  40  Stadium  Road  (Bathurst  & 
Lakeshore),  368-7794. 

□Together.  Continental  menu,  specials.  Sunday: 
allyoucaneat/$6  457  Church  St.  923-3469. 


•  The  Albany  Tavern.  158  King  St  E.  861-1155.  Dancing, 
patio. 

•  The  Barn.  83  Granby  St.  977-4702.  Casual  stand-up  bar 
and  disco.  After-hours  Fri  and  Sat  till  4  am  ($2  cover). 
□Boots  (at  the  Selby).  592  Sherbourne  St.  921-1035. 
Dance  floor,  lounge. 

•  Buddy's  Backroom  Bar.  370  Church  St  977-9955. 
Chatty,  casual  stand-up  bar 

□  Bud's  (at  Hotel  Selby).  592  Sherbourne  St.  921-3142. 
Raunchy  video,  dance  floor 

□  Cameo  Club.  95  Trinity  St  368-2824  Licensed  private 
dance  club  for  women  Fri  and  Sat  only. 

•  Les  Cavaliers.  418  Church  St.  977-4702  Piano  sing- 
along  bar,  very  chatty. 

□  Chaps.  9  Isabella  St  (at  Yonge).  921-3012.  Large  up- 
stairs disco,  downstairs  bar  with  risque  slides  and  video 
Sidewalk  patio. 

□Cornelius.  579  Yonge  St.  967-4666  Dance  floor,  dining 
area.  Open  4  pm.  $1  a  beer  till  8  pm  weeknights. 

•  Crow  Bar.  10  Breadalbane  St  (laneway  behind  Parkside 
Tavern)  923-6136.  Video  Mon-Sal, 

4  pm-3am,  Sun4pm-1  am 

The  Hitch'n'Post.  529  Yonge  St  Leather  bar/  restaurant 
Mon-Fn,  7:30  pm-10  pm.  Fri/Sat,  midnight  to  3  am.  Sun 
brunch  noon  to  4  pm  and  dinner:  5  pm-10  pm  925-9998. 

Katrina's.  5  St  Joseph  St  961-4740  Stand-up  bar  with 
dance  floor  Fri  and  Sal  to  4  am  Sun  T-dances  Cover 
charge  weekends  Dining  lounge 
□Oz.  1 1sabella  St.  961-0790  Large  bar  and  disco,  lotsa 
lesbians  Also  after  hours  ($3) 

Parkside  Tavern.  530  Yonge  St.  922-3844  Men  s 
beverage  room,  side  entrance  Closed  Sun 

The  Quest.  665  Yonge  St  964-8641   Bar.  dining  room 
Upstairs:  Rusty's  Cabaret,  with  regular  cover-charge  drag 
entertainment 

St  Charles  Tavern.  488  Yonge  St  925-5517  Large 
beverage  rooms 

The  Surfboard  Tavern.  New  lesbian  bar.  in  basement  of 
Hotel  California  319  Jarvis  St  (side  entrance) 

Together  457  Church  St  923-3469  Lesbian  bar.  dining 
room 

The  Tool  Box.  Leather  club  bar  with  patio,  meals.  Club 
night  Thurs  18  Eastern  Ave  869-9294 


•  The  Barracks.  56  Widmer  St.  593-0499.  Leather/ 
denim.  6  pm-10  am;  24  hours  on  weekends. 

•  The  Club.  231  Mutual  St  977-4629.  24  hours. 

•  The  Roman's  Health  and  Recreation  Spa.  742  Bay  SI 
598-2110.  24  hours. 


□Chaps.  See  Bars,  above. 

□Club  Manatee.  11A  St  Joseph  St.  922-1898.  Male  only, 
youngish  crowd.  Not  licensed.  Fri  &  Sat:  10  pm-6  am;  Sun: 
10:30  pm-3:30  am.  Live  shows  Sat  at  2  am,  Sun  at  mid- 
night. 

□Oz.  See  Bars,  above. 

□Pan  AM  Dances.  Tues  nights  at  the  Rivoli,  334  Queen  St 
W  from  8  pm.  New  wave. 


□Stages.  530  Yonge  St  928-0492.  Fri-Sat  12  to  5  am. 

Sun  10:30  pm-4  am.  $6. 

□Twilight  Zone.  185  Richmond  St  W.  977-3347.  New 

wave  Weekends.  $8. 

□Voodoo  Club.  9  St  Joseph  St  (above  Katrina's). 

960-9335  Newwave.  Weekends.  $5. 

ACCOMMODATION 

□Cabbagetown  Lodging-House  and  Efficiencies.  300 

Wellesley  St  E  (at  Parliament).  Call  Bill  or  Allen,  961-9320. 
□Catnaps  Guesthouse.  246  Sherbourne  St  968-2323.  Fif- 
teen rooms,  waterbeds,  TV  lounge,  pool  table  and  game 
room,  laundry  and  kitchen  facilities,  free  parking,  sundeck, 
complimentary  rolls  and  coffee.  Sun-Thurs,  $25;  Fri,  Sat. 
holidays,  $30  Visa/Mastercard. 
□18  East  Hotel.  18  Eastern  Ave.  368-4040  Bar  and  dining 
room,  22  rooms,  TV  lounge,  sauna,  gym,  laundry  facilities, 
sundeck,  free  parking.  1  or  2  people:  $24,  weekend  rates. 
□The  Selby  Hotel.  592  Sherbourne  St.  921-3142 


SUN,  SEXUALITY,  STYLE  AND  WIT 

The  sun  was  shining,  a  gentle  breeze  was  blowing,  and  the  crowd  was  friendly,  as  pictures 
were  perused,  wine  was  sipped,  and  artists  were  chatted  to.  The  June  3  Gay  Art  Show,  spon- 
sored by  the  Lambda  Business  Council,  was,  all  in  all,  a  very  pleasant  experience. 

The  first,  and  I  hope  annual,  one-day  exhibition  brought  together  about  70  works  by  24  art- 
ists. There  was  a  good  range  of  subject  and  style,  from  the  overt  sexuality  of  Andy  Fabo  's 
Three  Graces  to  Eric  Parker's  witty  He  only  loved  bits  and  pieces  of  people.  There  were  fine 
paintings  by  Matt  Gould,  constructions  by  Doug  Morrison  (I  particularly  liked  Blue  Horizon) 
and,  for  the  nostalgia  buff,  hand-coloured  photos  byAngie  Coloni  (below). 

A  benefit  for  the  Gay  Community  Appeal  (to  which  the  artists  donated  at  least  25%  of  any 
sale),  the  show  attracted  almost  600  people  and  resulted  in  21  sales,  totalling  over  a  thousand 
dollars.  It  was  a  very  positive  experience,  I  am  sure,  for  both  artists  and  viewers. 

Ian  TAwnU 


Victorian-style  hotel;  bar,  dining  room  72  rooms.  No 
housekeeping  1-2  people  with  private  bath:  $35;  without: 
$27. 


COMMUNITY 


Toronto  Gay  Community  Council  105  Carlton  SI.  4th  floor. 
MSB  1M2  Umbrella  organization  ot  lesbian  and  gay  groups 
Forum  for  sharing  information  and  discussing  political  strategies 

SOCIAL  & 
POLITICAL  ACTION 

GAIDS  Committee  of  Toronto.  See  Health,  below 
DBeaches  Area  Gays.  Meets  Thurs  nights,  after  9  pm.  at  Conti- 
nental Flair  Lounge  (in  the  Beach  Mall).  1971  Queen  St  E  (at 
Waverley) 

HBridges.  118  Spruce  St,  M5A  2J5  Michael  Riordon 
(923-8089)  Group  connecting  lesbian,  gay  and  third  world  libera 
tion  struggles 

Chutzpah  730  Bathurst  St.  M5S  2R4  489-4662  Group  for 
Jewish  gay  men  and  lesbians  and  friends 

Coalition  tor  Gay  Rights  in  Ontario  (CGRO).  Box  822.  Stn  A 
M5W  1G3  533-6824  Toronto  ottice  730  Bathurst  St.  M5S  2R4 
^Committee  to  Defend  John  Damien  1508-914  Yonge  St. 
M4W  3C8  925-6729 

Foolscap  (Oral  History  Project).  Conducting  interviews  with  gay 
people  John  Grube.  961-8947 

Foundation  lor  the  Advancement  ol  Canadian  Transsexuals 
(FACT)  -  Toronto.  519  Church  St  Community  Centre  M4Y  2C9 

Gay  Alliance  at  York,  c/o  CYSF.  105  Central  Sq.  York  University 
4700KeeleSt.Downsview.  0NM3J  1P3  667-2515 

Gay  Asians  Toronto.  Box  752.  Stn  F  M4Y  2N6  Info  Alan  at 
Glad  Day  Bookshop.  961-4161 

Gay  Association  ot  Maritimers  in  Toronto.  730  Bathurst  St 
M5S  2R4  Suppon  group  lor  Maritimers  moving  to  Toronto 

Gay  Community  Appeal  ol  Toronto  Box  2212.  Stn  P  M5S  2T2 
869-3036  Fund-raising  tor  gay  and  lesbian  community  protects 

Gay  Community  Dance  Committee  (GCDC)  730  Bathurst  St. 
M5S  2R4  Organizes  community  lund-raising  dances 

Gay  Courtwatch  Room  337  Old  City  Hall  (Queen  and  Bay) 
362-6928 

Gay  Fathers  ol  Toronto  Box  187  Stn  F   M4Y  2L5  364-4164 
weeknights 

Gay  Liberation  Against  the  Right  Everywhere  (GLARE)  Box  793 
StnO   M4T  2N7 

Gay  SIG.  Drawer  C622.  c/o  The  Body  Politic  Box  7289  Stn  A 
MSW  1X9  Gioup  ol  gay  members  ol  MENSA  in  Canada 

Gay  Sell-Oelence  Group  Box  793.  Sin  Q.  M4T  2N7  423  4803 
Organizes  courses  in  selldelence  in  and  outside  ol  Toronto 

Gay  Youth  ot  Toronto.  730  Bathurst  St  M5S  2R4  533-2867 
Phone  counselling   Mon  Wed  Fn  7  pm  10  pm 

Gays  and  Lesbians  at  U  ot  T  c/o  SAC  Office  12  Hart  House  Cir- 
cle. University  ol  Toronto.  MSS  1A1   360  6339 

GEM  Gay  Community  Outreach  Box  62  Brampton  ON  L6V  2K7 
Peel  Region  (BramptonMississauga)  group  lor  gays  and  lesbians 
GaylineWesl  453-4426 

GLAD  (Gay/Lesbian  Action  Iw  Disarmament)  Box  5794  Sin  A 
MSW  1P7  921  1938 

Glad  Day  Defence  Fund  648A  Yonqe  Si  M4Y  2A6  9614161 

international  Gay  Association  (Toronto)  c  o  Gay  Community 
Council 

Lesbian  and  Gay  Academic  Society   I    I  SAC   12  Had  House  C« 
cle.  UoM  M5S  1A1   921  S317  (Conrad)  0»  924  6474 
lAiexandia) 
continued  p  30 


POLITIC  L  1  JULY  /AUGUST  1984       25 


BodyPolitic 


&£ktiu£tir 


CALENDAR 

OF  EVENTS  IN 

TORONTO  FROM 

WEDNESDAY 

JUNE  20 

TO 

FRIDAY 

AUGUST  31 


WATCH  FOR 
UPDATES  TO  THIS 
CALENDAR  THROUGH- 
OUT THE  SUMMER  IN 

XTRA 

AVAILABLE  IN  BARS, 

RESTAURANTS  AND 

CLUBS  ACROSS  THE  CITY 

TWICE  A  MONTH 


WED/JUNE  20 

□  JAC.  Opening  night  of  the  gay  art  collec- 
tive's new  show.  See  Art. 

THURS/JUNE21 

(.a>  Fathers  of  Toronto  Annual  Meeting. 
Info:  364-4164. 

□  Dressing  Up.  Fashion  show  and  dance 
party  at  Harbourfront.  See  Art. 

□  "Transsexuals."  See  TV/Radio. 

FRI/JUNE22 

□  Canoe  Weekend.  Out  &  Out,  927-0970. 

SAT/JUNE  23 

□  Not-So- Amazon  Softball  League.  The 

230-member  lesbian  league  plays  every  Sat 
and  Sun  from  12:30  on  in  the  Riverdale  (west 
side)  and  Keelesdale  Parks,  and  from  3  pm 
at  Dovercourt  Park  (Dufferin  &  Bloor). 
Come  and  watch  teams  like  the  Rubyfruit 
Tarts  and  Bats  Outta  Hell  slug  it  out! 

□  Cabbagetown  Group  Softball  League.  The 
gay  league  plays  every  Sat  and  Sun  from  1 1 
am  through  the  afternoon,  in  Riverdale  Park 
(east  side,  north  diamond). 

□  "All  Night  Long."  Except  for  August's 
boat  cruise  (see  Aug  1 1),  this  is  the  Gay  Com- 
munity Dance  Committee's  only  event  until 
the  Oct  27  Hallowe'en  dance.  Two  dance 
floors,  9  pm  to  5  am.  Proceeds  to  a  wide 
variety  of  lesbian  and  gay  groups.  Licensed. 
Tickets  $7  advance  at  Glad  Day  Bookshop, 
or  $8  at  door,  or  $5  after  1:30  am.  The  Con- 
cert Hall,  888  Yonge  St. 

□  "Strawberry  Fields  Forever!"  A  bike  ride 
out  to  a  berry  farm  for  a  harvest.  Out  & 
Out,  927-0970. 

SUN/JUNE  24 

□  Chutzpah  Brunch.  1  pm,  at  the  Art 
Gallery  of  Ontario's  patio  restaurant,  317 
Dundas  St  W.  Info:  489-4662. 

□  Special  MCC  Service.  Reverend  Nancy 
Radclyffe,  chaplain  of  the  Spiritual  Life  and 
Clergy  Care  Centre  in  Los  Angeles,  is  the 
guest  preacher  for  the  Metropolitan  Commu- 
nity Church's  1 1  am  service.  730  Bathurst  St. 

□  Parachuting.  With  Out  &  Out's  airborne 
division.  Beginners  welcome.  927-0970. 

□  Death  in  Venice.  See  Theatre. 

TUES/JUNE26 

□  Tanztheatre  Wuppertal.  See  Dance. 

WED/JUNE  27 

□  Gay  Community  Council  Meeting.  Forum 
for  sharing  info  and  debating  issues.  519 
Church  St  Community  Centre,  7:30  pm. 
Info:  923-GAYS  or  CGRO  (533-6824). 

THURS/JUNE28 

□  Canada  Day  Barbecue.  Out  &  Out's 
annual  summer  biggie,  with  fireworks  to  top 
off  the  evening.  Cost:  $7.  927-0970. 

FRI/JUNE29 

□  Canada  Cup.  Weekend  tournament  hosted 
by  the  Cabbagetown  Group  Softball  League, 


i&  x.  m 


PRE-SPEEDO  HIGH  FASHION 

ON  THE  BEACH  AT  H  ANLAN'S 

POINT,  AROUND  1900 


UN  JOURNEE  EN  TAXI  •  AT  THE  CARLTON  CINEMAS 


with  teams  expected  from  Vancouver,  the 
States,  and  even  Europe.  Riverdale  Park, 
east  side  of  valley,  throughout  weekend. 

□  The  Fourth  Man.  Opening  night  of  the  ac- 
claimed Dutch  film.  See  box  next  page. 

□  Out  &  Out  Canoe  Weekend.  927-0970. 


SUN/JULY  1 


□  Lesbian  and  Gay  Pride  Day  '84.  Clowns, 
comedians,  dance  bands,  an  auction,  and  a 
street  parade  —  including  floats  from  various 
gay  groups  and  businesses  —  are  some  of  this 
year's  highlights.  Among  the  treasures  being 
auctioned  are  a  houseboat  weekend  for 
eight,  works  by  Toronto  artists,  a  ride  with 
the  Amazon  motorcycle  club,  and  much 
more,  with  Alderman  Jack  Layton  acting  as 
auctioneer  (credit  cards  and  cheques  ac- 
cepted). All  happening  in  and  around 
Cawthra  Park,  next  to  the  519  Church  St 
Community  Centre  (just  north  of  Church  & 
Wellesley)  from  1  pm  on. 


TUES/JULY3 


□  Summer  Day  Camp.  A  project  for  chil- 
dren of  lesbian  and  gay  parents,  organized 
by  the  519  Church  St  Community  Centre, 
and  running  till  Aug  31.  $20  per  child  for  en- 
tire summer.  Penny  Lamy,  923-2770. 

WED/JULY  4 

□  Lutherans  Concerned.  Meeting  at  8  pm. 
Info:  David  or  James,  463-7354. 

□  Lesbian  Phone  Line  Meeting.  Prospective 
volunteers  welcome.  348  College  St,  3rd 
floor.  7:30  pm.  960-3249. 

THURS/JULY5 

□  Swim  Wear  Parade.  At  Buddy's,  370 
Church  St,  from  9:30  pm.  Beer  99<t  all  night 
to  anyone  in  anything  brief. 


FRI/JULY6 


□  Gay  Fathers  Potluck  Supper.  Friends  and 
family  welcome.  7:30  pm.  Info:  364-4164. 


SAT/JULY  7 


□  Rainbow  Alliance  of  the  Deaf  meeting. 

519  Church  St  Community  Centre,  1-4  pm. 

SUN/JULY  8 

□  Dignity  (Gay  Catholics)  Service.  With 
special  liturgy  organized  by  women  in  Dig- 
nity. See  Sundays. 

FRI/JULY  13 

□  Gay  Bingo  Night.  The  Toronto  Historical 
Bowling  Society  hosts  what  is  sure  to  be  a 
fun  evening,  8  pm  in  the  St  Lawrence  Market 
(Front  &  Jarvis).  $3500  in  prizes.  To  con- 
firm, call  423-5955.  A  fund-raising  event  for 
the  Maple  Leaf  Classic  in  August. 


SAT/JULY  14 


□  "Summer  Sleaze!"  All  women  are  invited 
to  "do  your  worst"  at  this  dance  organized 
by  the  Lesbian  Mothers  Defence  Fund,  9  pm 
to  1  am  at  the  519  Church  St  Community 
Centre.  "Irresistable  buffet...  Come-as-you- 
are  costumes...  Torchy  music...  Provocative 
decor. ..."  Tickets  $6  ($5  advance,  on  sale 
July  1st  at  Toronto  Women's  Bookstore  and 
Glad  Day  Books);  sliding  scale  and  assistance 
with  babysitting  expenses.  Info:  465-6822. 


SUN/JULY  15 

□  Rochester  (NY)  Gay  Community  Picnic. 

See  ad  p  18. 

WED/JULY  18 

□  Boots  Sea  Cruise  Night.  Fun  and  frolics  at 
592  Sherbourne  St,  with  surprise  entertain- 
ment. Beer  99C  all  night  for  anyone  wearing 
anything  brief. 

THURS/JULY19 

□  Gay  Fathers  of  Toronto.  Discussion  night. 
Info:  364-4164. 

SUN/JULY  22 

□  Chutzpah.  Monthly  brunch,  meeting  at  1 
pm  at  Ryan's  Restaurant,  49  St  Clair  St  W. 
Info:  489-4662. 

MON/JULY  23 

□  Privates  on  Parade.  The  play.  See  Theatre. 

WED/JULY  25 

□  Gay  Community  Council  Meeting.  See 

June  27. 

□Misfit.  See  Theatre. 

FRI/AUG  3 

□  Maple  Leaf  Classic  Bowling  Tournament. 

Be  prepared  for  hundreds  of  gay  women  and 
men  to  flood  into  town  from  the  States, 
Europe  and  across  Canada,  for  this  four-day 
event  hosted  by  the  Toronto  Historical  Bowl- 
ing Society  (who,  by  the  way,  recently  picked 
up  top  prize  at  Vancouver's  English  Cup 
tournament).  Special  events  are  to  include 
bingo  on  Friday  night;  a  leather  show  and 
disco  on  Saturday  night;  an  evening  at  the 
Surfboard  Tavern,  also  Saturday  night;  an 
awards  banquet  and  dance  on  Sunday  night; 
brunch  at  the  CN  Tower  on  Monday;  and  a 
send-off  party  and  dance  Monday  night.  For 
details,  call  423-5955.  Many  billeting  spaces 
are  needed  —  if  you  can  help,  call  463-6824. 


SAT/AUG  4 


□Toronto  Rainbow  Alliance  of  the  Deaf. 

Monthly  meeting.  519  Church  St  Commu- 
nity Centre,  1-4  pm. 

ONE  IN  TWO  HUNDRED 

Jeffrey  Andrews,  chosen  for  Death  in  Venice 's 
Tadzio  from  200  auditioners.  See  Theatre. 


26  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


MON/AUG  6 

□  Gay  Fathers  of  Toronto.  Theme  discus- 
sion. 519  Church  St  Community  Centre,  8 
pm.  Info:  364-4164. 

WED/AUG  8 

□  Eurythmics.  Annie  Lennox  ana  Dave  Stew- 
art show  what  sweet  dreams  are  made  of,  at 
the  Kingswood  Music  Theatre  just  north  of 
Toronto.  Info:  Ticketron  or  463-6477. 

□  Chutzpah  Planning  Meeting.  The  gay 
Jewish  group,  meeting  at  Arnold's  place  at  8 
pm.  Info:  489-4662. 


SAT/AUG11 


□  Gay  Boat  Cruise.  The  Gay  Community 
Dance  Committee's  first  marine  event!  A 


survey  at  April's  dance  showed  that  60%  of 
both  women  and  men  would  be  willing  to 
pay  $16  for  a  few  hours  of  fun  on  the  water, 
and  GCDC  has  obliged.  Boarding  begins  at  8 
pm  at  Pier  28,  at  the  foot  of  Jarvis  St.  Sail- 
ing time  is  9  sharp,  and  DJ  Ted  Bates  pro- 
vides the  music.  The  boat  docks  at  1  am,  but 
dancing  continues  till  2.  Advance  tickets 
only,  limited  to  300,  available  at  Glad  Day 
Books  or  the  June  23  dance.  Info:  961-4161 . 


SUN/AUG  12 


pm 


□  Gay  Fathers  and  Children's  Picnic.  1 
on  the  Toronto  Islands.  Fun,  food  and 
games.  Info:  364-4164. 

□  Dignity  Service.  With  liturgy  organized  by 
women  in  Dignity.  See  Sundays. 


FRI/AUG  17 

□  Gay  Fathers  Potluck  Supper.  364-4164. 

SUN/AUG  19 

□  Chutzpah  Third  Annual  Picnic  and 
Barbecue.  The  gay  Jewish  group  meets  at 
Old  Mill  Subway,  3  pm  sharp,  for  an  excur- 
sion to  Humber  River.  Bring  your  own  meat. 
Info:  489-4662. 

THURS/AUG30 

□  Gay  Fathers  Meeting.  General  discussion. 
Info:  364-4164. 


' '  The  polish  and  wit  of  a  Hitchcock  film 
mixed  with  eroticism  and  humour. . .  stylish 
and  effective"  writes  Vito  Russo  (author  of 
The  Celluloid  Closet)  about  The  Fourth  Man, 
opening  June  29  at  the  Showcase  Cinema  on 
Yonge  Street.  The  Dutch  film,  directed  by 
Paul  Verhoeven  (Spotters)  won  the  Interna- 
tional Critics  Prize  at  last  fall's  Festival  of 
Festivals  in  Toronto. 

A  poor  but  acclaimed  writer  on  a  lecture 
tour  spends  the  night  with  a  lovely  and 
mysterious  fan.  He  discovers  that  she  is  the 
widow  of  three  husbands,  all  of  whom  have 
died  in  very  curious  circumstances.  He  de- 
cides to  stay  a  while  longer  when  he  finds 
out  that  his  hostess 's  current  boyfriend  is  the 
same  gorgeous  fellow  he  cruised  in  the  train 
station  on  the  way  up,  and  connives  to 
seduce  the  young  man.  He  cannot,  however, 
shed  hallucinatory  premonitions  of  death,  and 
an  increasing  paranoia  that  his  hostess  is 
plotting  to  add  one  of  them  to  her  list  of  late 
amours  —  will  one  of  them  be  the  fourth,  and 
if  so—  who? 

The  characters  are  refreshingly  human, 
and  the  author,  especially,  may  be  one  of  the 
first  utterly  believable  gay  characters  in 
cinema  —  selfish,  lazy  and  manipulative,  but 
ultimately  quite  likeable  -  and  humour  and 
sex  are  indeed  skillfully  woven  into  the  plot 

John  Allec 


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MONDAYS 


□  The  Women's  Group.  Support  group  for 
lesbians,  8  pm.  519  Church  St  Community 
Centre.  Info:  Raechel,  936-0527. 

□  Defensercise.  Two  hours  of  exercise,  self- 
defence  and  fun,  hosted  by  Toronto  Gay 
Patrol.  Free.  Wear  running  shoes,  loose 
clothing  and  don't  eat  45  minutes  before  ses- 
sion. 519  Church  St,  7:30  pm. 

□  Overeaters  Anonymous.  For  gay  men  and 
lesbians.  519  Church  St  Community  Centre, 
7:30  pm. 


TUESDAYS 


□  Gay  Youth  of  Toronto.  7:30  pm.  Info: 
533-2867  (Mon,  Wed,  Fri  from  7-10  pm). 

□  Integrity  (Gay  Anglicans).  Church  of  the 
Holy  Trinity  (Eaton  Centre).  7:30  pm. 
593-6217. 

□  Women's  Studies  Student  Union  Open 
House.  Noon  to  2  pm  (bring  your  own 
lunch).  Room  5 1 B,  New  College  (NE  corner 
in  the  basement),  U  of  T. 


WEDNESDAYS 


□  Metropolitan  Community  Church.  Mid- 
week services.  730  Bathurst  St.  Wheelchair- 
accessible.  7:30  pm. 

□  Toronto  Addicted  Women's  Self-Help  Net- 
work. Self-help  group  for  women  addicted  to 
alcohol  and  other  drugs.  Central  Neighbour- 
hood House.  349  Ontario  St,  7  pm.  Info: 
961-7319. 


THURSDAYS 


□  TAG  Coming  Out  Group.  Meets  in  private 
home.  Supportive  atmosphere  for  people 
coming  to  terms  with  their  sexuality.  8  pm. 
Info:  964-6600. 


WEEKENDS 


SUNDAYS 

□  Dignity/Toronto.  Gay  Catholics  and 
friends.  Mass  or  worship  followed  by  discus- 
sion. Lynch  Hall,  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes 
Church  (Sherbourne  St,  south  of  Bloor),  5 
pm.  Wheelchair-accessible.  960-3997. 

□  Metropolitan  Community  Church.  Wor- 
ship at  1 1  am  and  7:30  pm;  singspiration  15 
minutes  before  each  service.  Sunday  school 
provided  for  II  am  service.  Wheelchair- 
accessible;  services  on  first  Sun  of  each 
month  signed  for  the  deaf.  730  Bathurst  St. 

□  Christos  Metropolitan  Community 
Church.  Worship  service  at  7  pm,  St  Luke's 
United  Church  (Sherbourne  &  Carlton,  in 
chapel  off  Carlton)  with  fellowship  hour. 
489-4293  (days)  or  248-1733  (evenings). 

□  Alcoholics  Anonymous.  Gay  and  lesbian 
group,  open  to  all.  3  pm.  730  Bathurst  St 
(MCC). 


PHONELINES 


□  Alcoholics  Anonymous 964-3962 

Lesbian  and  gay  groups. 

□  Gaycare  Toronto 243-5494 

Seven  days  a  week,  7-1 1  pm. 

□  Lesbian  Phoneline 960-3249 

Tues  7:30-10:30  pm. 

□Gay  Community  Calendar 923-GAYS 

□GayCourtwatch 362-6928 

□  Gay  Fathers  of  Toronto 364-4164 

Mon-Fri,  7-10  pm. 

□  Gay  Youth  of  Toronto 533-2867 

Mon,  Wed,  Fri,  7-10  pm. 

North  American 
Transvestite-Transsexual 
ContactService(Seattle)       (206)624-8266 

[  1  Spouses  of  Gays  967-0597 

Wed  and  Thurs  6:30-8:30  pm. 

Toronto  Area  Gays  (TAG) 964-6600 

Mon-Fri  7-10  pm. 
Counselling,  info. 

Bisexuals  International.     (215)425-3894 
(Philadelphia). 

CIRPA  960-6318 

Citizens'  Independent  Review  of  Police 

Vtmties  24-hour  confidential  hotline. 
Trouble  with  the  police''  Call  u>  first: 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  H  JULY /  AUGUST  1984       27 


Out  and  Out 


(416)927-0970 


tl' 


Cafe 


$ 


A  little  bit  of  magic 
can  lead  you  to  great  food. 


Open  for  lunch  and  dinner 


Sun  -  Wed  11  am  - 1  am 
Thu-Sat  11  am -4  am 
Licensed 


118  Avenue  Road 

Toronto 

921-6095 


because  at 
we're  offering 


one 


Omelette  brunch 


on  Sundays  from  12  —  3  p.m. 

with  purchase  of  one  Bloody  Caesar  or  Bloody  Mary 

at  the  regular  price. 


hu*My* 

370  church  street,  toronto 


SPENDING  A  NIGHT 

(SORT  OF)  WITH  SHEILA  GOSTICK 


Wednesday,  May  28 
Dear  Diary: 

Heaven!  Paradise! !  I  spent  the  night 
with  Sheila  Gostick! ! !  Well,  to  be  truth- 
ful, part  of  the  night.  Well,  the  evening. 
But  guess  what?  Sheila  Gostick  wears  a 
white  T-shirt,  grey  socks  with  pink 
stripes,  red  pyjamas  and  patent-leather 
army  boots  to  bed ! !  And  she  has  a  nice 
big  double  bed,  too.  Well,  it  wasn't  real- 
ly her  bed  —  it  was  sort  of  just  on  the 
stage  at  Theatre  Passe  Muraille.  Any- 
way, she  was  in  it  —  boots  and  all  — 
when  I  got  there.  And  she  talks  inces- 
santly, in  bed  or  out  of  it.  She  told  me 
she  used  to  more  keen  on  the  whole  idea 
of  bed  until  she  realized  that  "sleeping 
together"  meant  "staying  awake."  And 
she  likes  to  sleep  —  I  think  because  she 
dreams  so  much.  She  used  to  dream  in 
3-D! !  But  she  doesn't  anymore  because 
she  doesn't  like  to  wear  the  little  glasses 
to  bed. 


Oh,  Diary,  she  is  so  terrific!  She  told 
me  all  about  Wayne  Gretzky,  her  ideal 
man  —  wealthy  &  never  home.  But  she 
knows  she  shouldn't  take  money  from 
men.  She'll  take  money  from  women, 
though  —  if  she  can  find  one  who  makes 
a  million  bucks  playing  ice  hockey. 

Diary,  she  is  so  beautiful!  You  might 
not  guess  it  from  this  picture  I've  pasted 
in  here,  but  she  has  a  Mohawkl  Oh,  not 
on  her  head  —  up  her  legs! !  When  she 
takes  her  pyjamas  off  it  looks  like  she's 
wearing  tuxedo  pants! ! ! 

I  just  can't  stand  it,  Diary  —  she  can 
sing,  and  dance,  and  I  never  laughed  so 
much  in  all  my  life!  Like,  you  know 
what  she  said  about  the  CN  Tower? 
"That,"  she  said,  "is  the  best  example 
of  what  a  really  insecure  architect  can 
do." 

Well,  Diary,  I  must  run  —  I'm  going 
downtown  to  see  if  I  can  buy  me  a  pair 
of  ice  skates.  Edna  Barker D 


AN  OPERA  FANATIC'S  DELIGHT 


"Stupenda!"  doesn't  begin  to  convey 
the  sensation  created  by  Joan 
Sutherland's  performances  as  the  tragic 
heroine  of  Donizetti's  Anna  Bolena, 
staged  recently  for  the  first  time  by  the 
Canadian  Opera  Company.  Opening 
night  audiences  gasped  as  the  curtain 
slowly  rose  to  reveal  a  sumptuous  state- 
room (supposedly  in  Windsor  Castle) 
with  the  great  Dame  herself  seated  well 
downstage,  her  commanding  figure 
draped  in  crimson  velvet. 

In  many  ways  Anna  Bolena  (particu- 
larly this  production,  designed  in  the 
grand  manner  by  John  Pascoe  and 
Michael  Stennett)  seems  quintessentially 
an  opera  fanatic's  delight:  prima  donnas 


Anna  Bolena  by  Gaetano  Donizetti.  Canadian 
Opera  Company,  May  22-June  3.  Conducted 
by  Richard  Bonynge.  Directed  by  Lotfi 
Mansouri. 


garbed  in  luxurious  gowns  and  elegant 
headgear  pouring  out  endless  streams  of 
melody  with  fiendish  embellishments; 
dramatic  confrontations  and  duets 
crowned  with  thrilling  high  notes;  pomp 
and  pageantry  set  against  lavish  back- 
drops and  fairytale  settings.  And  above 
all,  an  obligatory  mad-scene  for  the 
doomed  heroine  wronged  by  fate  and 
lecherous  intrigue. 

Conceived  in  1830  as  a  vehicle  for  the 
great  Giuditta  Pasta  (a  singing  actress 
whose  inspiration  made  audiences  over- 
look her  vocal  inadequacies).  Anna  has 
been  revived  on  rare  occasions  as  a 
showcase  for  dramatic  coloraturas,  stars 
of  the  bel  canto  style  who  can  cope  with 
the  merciless  demands  of  the  music  and 
still  create  memorable  dramatic  effects. 
A  famous  modern  revival  took  place  in 
1957  at  La  Scala,  with  Luchino  Visconti 
directing  the  prodigious  talent  of  Maria 
Callas,  whose  overwhelming  success  in 


28  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


BUM      BUI 


the  title  role  drew  cries  of  "Divina!" 
from  impassioned  Milanese  audiences. 
More  recently  Elena  Suliotis  and  Beverly 
Sills  have  attempted  this  gruelling  role, 
with  only  moderate  success. 

At  58,  Sutherland  continues  to 
astonish  even  her  detractors  with  her 
vocal  longevity  and  celebrated  agility. 
She  is  not  (and  has  never  aspired  to  be) 
the  kind  of  consummate  singing  actress 
that  Callas  was,  but  over  the  years  she 
has  learned  to  declaim  in  the  grand  man- 
ner, moving  regally  about  the  stage  with 
enough  energy  and  conviction  to  create 
powerful  effects.  In  Bolena  she  domin- 
ated all  the  ensembles,  her  awesomely 
large  voice  soaring  above  the  orchestra 
with  one  climactic  high  note  after 
another,  particularly  during  the  magnifi- 
cent finale  of  the  second  act,  when  Anna 
boldly  challenges  King  Henry's  power 
and  angrily  defends  herself  against 
trumped-up  adultery  charges. 

Perhaps  the  biggest  surprise  of  the 
evening  was  the  triumph  of  Judith  Forst 
—  a  Canadian  mezzo  once  wasted  in 
thankless  roles  like  Maddelena  in  Rigo- 
letto  —  singing  the  complex  role  of  Jane 
Seymour,  Anna's  lady-in-waiting  and 
Henry  VlII's  current  mistress.  Forst 
combined  dramatic  force  with  agile 
coloratura  singing  to  suggest  convincing- 
ly Seymour's  ambiguous  motivations 
and  sympathies.  Like  Bellini's  Norma,  a 
bel  canto  masterpiece  written  shortly 
afterwards  in  1831 ,  Anna  Bolena  pro- 
vides a  fascinating  study  of  sexual  dilem- 
ma, with  women  joined  together  against 
the  male  fools  and  bullies  who've  used 
and  betrayed  them.  The  great  confronta- 
tion scene  between  Anna  and  Seymour 
was  perhaps  the  musical  highpoint  of  the 
evening,  the  two  women's  voices  uniting 
in  an  extended  duet  which  rose  in  thirds 
to  a  splendid  climax,  bringing  the  house 
down.  In  other  scenes  they  were  admir- 
ably supported  by  James  Morris  as  the 
villainous  Henry,  and  Janet  Stubbs, 
strikingly  handsome  in  the  trouser  role 
of  Smeaton,  the  page-boy  who  adores 
Anna  but  betrays  her  under  torture. 

In  the  celebrated  mad  scene  which 
concludes  the  opera  Sutherland  sounded 
fresher  than  ever,  using  haunting  col- 
ours and  unaccustomed  chest  notes,  as 
well  as  dazzling  coloratura,  to  convey 
the  pathos  of  Anna's  demise.  Dame 
Joan's  concept  of  madness  is  general- 
ized: a  kind  of  nineteenth  century 
melancholia  touched  by  moments  of 
delirium  and  nostalgia.  In  her  rendition 
of  Anna's  eloquent  prayer,  "Cielo,  a 
miei  lunghi  spasami,"  an  outrageous 
pirating  by  Donizetti  of  "Home,  Sweet 
Home,"  from  Bishop's  Clan  (1823), 
Sutherland  displayed  exquisite  tone  and 
disarming  sincerity.  Her  final  cabaletta, 
denouncing  Henry  and  his  newly 
crowned  consort  in  a  series  of  rising  trills 
and  dazzling  embellishments,  brought 
the  audience  to  its  feet. 

There  hasn't  been  such  an  exciting 
musical  event  here  in  a  long  time.  Gen- 
eral Director  Lotfi  Mansouri  (who  also 
directed  this  production)  has  earned  the 
gratitude  of  opera  aficionados  both  for 
wooing  Sutherland  back  to  the  COC  for 
her  first  attempt  at  this  demanding  role, 
and  for  the  imagination  and  enterprise 
he  has  once  again  displayed  in  bringing 
in  a  production  of  international  calibre. 
From  here  the  production  (underwritten 
by  the  Gamma  Fisher  Foundation)  will 
travel  to  opera  centres  in  the  US: 
Detroit,  San  Francisco,  Houston  and 
Chicago.  What  Toronto  needs  now  is  a 
properly  equipped  opera  house  which 
can  sustain  the  lofty  standards  set  by  this 
great  production,  and  also  meet  the  de- 
mands of  Mansouri's  vision  for  the 
musical  future  of  this  city. 

P  G  Baker! 


y  ,-/v..iw..iu'  i — i»       ctbes^.e        J**-^-^ ««...,»  \^-iw  0    


Yonge  Street 

Bloor  south  to  College 


TBP'S  SUMMER  '84  KEY  TO 


o 


CHARLES 


HAYDEN 


CHARLES 


TORONTO 1 

Check  the  Out  In  the  City  listings  beginning  on  page  24 
for  full  descriptions  and  addresses  of  places  listed  below. 


Les  Cavaliers  .  .  . 

.35 

Church  St  Cafe  .  . 

.38 

Crispins 

.32 

18East 

.26 

Fare  Exchange .  . 

.  .4 

Fenton's 

.  .6 

Golden  Griddle  .  . 

.34 

.27 

Lipstick 

.41 

Plmblett's 

.29 

Queen  Mother  Cafe  22 

Raclette 

.20 

TheRlvoll 

.18 

.19 

Sgana  Landing  .  . 

.  15 

.  .12 
.  .  .1 
.  .14 
.  .31 
.  .37 
.  .26 


BARS 

The  Albany     24 

TheBarn 35 

Boots/Bud's    ....  42 

Buddy's    32 

CameoClub 25 

■   LesCavaliers  ....  35 

Chaps 3 

Cornelius 10 

Crow  Bar 11 

TheHHch'n'Post   .  13 


Katrina's  .... 
TheParkside  . 
The  Quest  .  .  . 
St  Charles  .  .  . 
The  Surf  board 
Together  .... 
The  Tool  Box    . 

DISCOS 

Chaps  

Club  Manatee. 

Oz 

PanAM/Rlvoli 

Stages    

Twilight  Zone  . 
Voodoo  Club    . 

BATHS 

The  Barracks  . 
The  Club  .... 
The  Roman's  . 


ACCOMMODATION 

Catnaps 30 

18  East  Hotel  ...  .26 
Selby  Hotel 42 


SERVICES 

Glad  Day  Books 


Toronto  Women's 

Bookstore 46 

(1  block  west  of 
Spadlna) 

Metropolitan  Com- 
munity Church  .  .  .45 
(West  to  Bathurst, 
1  block  south) 

5 19  Centre 40 

Hassle  Free  Clinic  .39 
Nellie's  Hostel   .  .  .28 
(East  on  Gerrard, 
south  on  Broadview 
to  Rlverdale  Village) 

Jennie's 47 

(West  to  Bathurst, 
half-block  south) 
Stop86 44 

OUTDOORS 

Hanlan's  Point 

Beach 16 

(Take  ferry  from 

docks  (17),  walk  to 

beach) 

Rlverdale  Park  (site  of 

most  CGSL  and  Not- 

so- Amazon  Softball 

games) 28 

(East  on  Gerrard, 
north  on  Broadview 


SOCIAL/POLITICAL  ACTION 

continued  from  page  25 


Lesbian  and  Gay  History  Group  ol  Toronto.  Box  639.  Stn  A. 
M5W  1G2  961-7338 

D  Lesbian  and  Gay  Pride  Day  Committee.  Box  793.  Stn  0. 
M4T  2N7  Organizes  end  ot  June  celebration. 
n  Lesbian  Incest  Survivors  Support  Group.  Info  964-7477  (Rape 
Crisis  Centre) 

ZLesbian  Mothers  Defense  Fund.  Box  38.  Stn  E  M6H  4E1. 
465-6822 

Lesbian  Speakers  Bureau.  Box  6597.  Stn  A.  M5W  1X4  Info: 
Michelle  at  789-4541  or  Debbie  at  964-7477  Speakers  tor  myth- 
shattering  seminars  and  workshops  about  lesbians 

Lesbians  Against  the  flight  Box  6579.  Stn  A.  M5W  1 X4 
Lesbian-feminist  political  action  group 

Metamorphosis.  Box  5963.  Stn  A.  M5W  1P4  Transsexual  coun- 
selling and  services 

New  Democratic  Party  Gay  and  Lesbian  Caucus.  Box  792.  Sin  F. 
M4Y  2N7  964-1049 

New  Dimensions.  Social  group  for  women,  meets  approximately 
every  third  week  Into:  Gayle.  683-8691 
"The  New  Voice,  c/o  519  Church  St.  M4Y  2C9  Lesbian/gay 
choir 

Osgoode  Gay/Lesbian  Caucus.  Vork  University.  4700  Keele  St. 
Downsview,  M3J  2R5  532-2443  (Peter)  or  463-4721  (Shelley) 

Parents  and  Friends  of  Lesbians  and  Gays  Toronto.  52  Roxaline 
St  Weston  ON  M9T  2Y9  Info  Pauline  Martin  at  244-2105 

Parents  of  Gays  Mississauga.  c/o  Anne  Rutledge.  3323  Kings 
Mastings  Cres.  Mississauga  L5L  1G5  820-5130 

Right  to  Privacy  Committee  (RTPC).  730  Bathurst  St.  M5S  2R4 
Defence  committee  for  gays  arrested  under  bawdyhouse  laws 
Cheques  or  charges  pyable  to  Harriet  Sachs  in  trust  for  RTPC  Info 
961-8046  or  362-2877  Also  runs  Courtwatch  (362-6928) 

Toronto  Rainbow  Alliance  of  the  Deal.  Box  671 .  Sin  F.  M4Y  2N6 

WHY'  (We  Help  You).  Non-profit  para-protessional  support  group 
tor  transsexuals  26-325  Jarvis  St.  M5B2C2  967-3405 


HEALTH  & 
SOCIAL  SERVICES 

□  AIDS  Committee  ot  Toronto.  Box  55.  Stn  F.  M4Y  2L4  926-1626 
(Mon-Fn.  9  am-5  pm)  Educates  public  about  the  syndrome, 
especially  AIDS-aftected  communities,  and  provides  support  services 
to  people  with  AIDS 

Alcoholics  Anonymous  Lesbian/gay  fellowships  964-3962. 
□Gaycare  Toronto,  c/o  Christos  MCC.  Box  1 193.  Stn  F.  M4Y  2T8. 
243-5494,  7-11  pm  seven  days  a  week  Free  face-to-face  drop-in 
counselling  service  in  the  downtown  area  Group  sessions 
.Gay  Counselling  Centre  ot  Toronto.  105  Carlton  St.  4th  floor. 
M5B  1M2  977-2153  Tues.  Wed,  Thurs,  6  30-9  30  pm  Professional 
counselling  for  lesbians  and  gay  men.  Call  for  appt  or  drop  in. 
□Gay  Fathers  of  Toronto.  Phoneline  364-4164,  7-10  pm,  Mon-Fri. 
□Gay  Men's  Discussion  Groups.  Sponsored  by  U  of  T  Sex  Ed  Centre 
978-3977 

□Hassle-Free  Clinic  -  Men.  556  Church  St.  2nd  floor.  M4Y  2E3 
922-0603.  VD  info,  testing  and  treatment  Hours:  Mon.  Wed,  4-9 
pm,  Tues.  Thurs,  10  am-3  pm:  Fn.  4-7  pm:  Sat.  10  am-2  pm  Bath 
clinics  every  Wed  evening  at  The  Club  and  Roman's 
□lesbian  Phoneline.  Box  70.  Sin  F.  M4Y  2L4.  960-3249  Tues 
7.30-10  30  pm  Recorded  message  other  times.  Speakers  available 
□Sex  Ed  Centre,  c/o  U  of  T  Office  of  Admissions,  315  Bloor  St  W, 
Room  107,  M5S  1A3  Devonshire  and  Bloor  Sts.  behind  Admissions 
Bldg  978-3977  Sex  counselling  tor  U  of  T  campus  Gay  counsellors 
every  Tues.  lOam-9  pm 

□Toronto  Area  Gays.  Box  6706  Stn  A.  M5W  1X5  964-6600.  Free 
peer  counselling  and  into  for  lesbians  and  gay  men  Mon-Fri:  7 
pm-10pm 

□Tri-Aid  Charitable  Foundation.  8  Irwin  Ave.  M4Y  1 K9  Gay  youth, 
streetwork.  parkwatch,  public  education,  agency  consultations 


□Association  of  Gay  Social  Workers,  c/o  906-55  Isabella  St. 

M4Y  1M8  Social  work  students  also  welcome. 

□Gays  in  Health  Care.  Box  7086,  Stn  A.  M5W  1X7  920-1882 


Gay  men  and  lesbians  working  and  training  in  health-care  delivery 
and  research. 

□Toronto  Lambda  Business  Council.  Box  513.  Adelaide  St  Stn. 
M5C  2J6.  Non-profit  guild  with  over  70  members,  publishes  direc- 
tory twice  a  year 


□Cabbagetown  Group  Softball  League.  Box  1113.  Stn  F, 

M4Y2T8. 

□Judy  Garland  Memorial  Bowling  League.  Info  bulletin  boards  in 

bars,  or  write  c/o  TSA  (below)  Sept-May  season  (Mon  and  Thurs 

evenings),  also  summer  league 

□Not-so  Amazon  Softball  League.  All-lesbian  recreation  league 

forming  this  spring.  Info:  967-7440  or  466-9341 . 

□Out  and  Out  Club.  Box  331 .  Stn  F.  M4Y  2L7.  927-0970  Outdoor 

activities  for  gay  people  Include  phone  number. 

□Pool  Bar  League.  Info  al  most  bars,  or  write  c/o  TSA 

□Riverdale  Curling  League.  Write  c/o  TSA 

□Riverdale  Volleyball  League.  Sept-April  season  Info  at  Crow  Bar, 

Buddy's  and  Albany  Tavern,  or  write  c/o  TSA. 

□Rotators  Curling  League.  Write  c/o  TSA. 

□Silukis.  All-lesbian  Softball  team.  Box  6597,  Stn  A,  M5W  1X4. 

964-7477. 

□Toronto  Historical  Bowling  Society.  Sept-May  seasonjues,  Wed. 

Fri  and  Sat  evenings,  and  Sun  afternoon  Also  summer  league 

Info:  423-5955,  or  write  100-2  Bloor  St  W,  M4W  3E2. 

□Toronto  Sports  Alliance  (TSA).  Box  1113,  Stn  F,  M4Y2T8 

□Womyn  Out  Doors  (WOODS).  Women-identified  women  sharing 

outdoor  skills  and  experiences  Outings,  workshops  and  trips  Box 

462,  Stn  P.  M5S  2S9. 

RELIGIOUS 

□Christos  Metropolitan  Community  Church,  Box  1193,  Stn  F 
M4Y  2T8.  968-7423.  Christian  church  with  special  outreach  to  gay 
community,  working  in  association  with  Gaycare  Toronto. 
□Chutzpah.  See  Social/political  action  listings. 


o 


nJ^l 


579  Yonge,  Toronto  (416)  967-4666 


□Dignity/Toronto.  Box  249,  Stn  E.  M6H  4E2  960-3997  Group  for 
gay  and  lesbian  Catholics  and  friends 
□Integrity/Toronto.  Box  873,  Stn  F.  M4Y  2N9.  Pastoral  ministry 
for  gay  and  lesbian  Anglicans  and  friends  593-6217  Chaplains 
available  for  pastoral  counselling  through  Ihis  number. 
□Lutherans  Concerned,  c/o  Edward  Schlauch,  980  Broadview 
Ave.  Apt  2309,  M4K  3Y1  463-7354  (David  or  James)  Support 
and  fellowship  tor  gay  and  lesbian  Lutherans  and  their  friends 
□Metropolitan  Community  Church.  730  Bathurst  St.  M5S  2R4. 
536-2848.  Christian  church  with  special  ministry  to  gay 
community. 

□The  Sacred  Triangle.  72  Ivy  Ave,  M4L  2H7  463-9688.  Lesbian 
and  gay  occultists  and  spiritualists 
□Seventh-Day  Adventists  Kinship  International.  For  past  and 
present  gay  and  lesbian  Adventists.  c/o  Jeremy  Young.  Box  408. 
StnC.  M6J  3P5. 

□Spirit.  730  Bathurst  St,  M5S  2R4.  248-1733  or  482-1817  Sup- 
port group  for  gay  and  lesbian  Salvationists  and  friends. 
□Toronto  Organization  of  United  Church  Homosexuals.  Box  626, 
StnQ,  M4T  1L0. 

NUN  OF  THE  ABOVE 

□The  Sisters  of  Perpetual  Indulgence.  Drawer  OPI,  c/oBox  7289, 
Stn  A.  M5W  1X9 

PUBLICATIONS 
&  INFORMATION 

□Bisexuals  International  (Philadelphia).  (215)  425-3894 
□The  Body  Politic.  Box  7289.  Stn  A.  M5W  1X9  364-6320 
National  lesbian  and  gay  monthly. 

□Canadian  Gay  Archives.  Box  639.  Stn  A,  M5W  1G2.  364-2759. 
□Gay  Community  Calendar.  Call  923-GAYS  (923-4297).  Box  8, 
Adelaide  St  Stn,  M5C  2H8.  24  hour  recorded  message  of  weekly 
events.  To  get  info  listed  call  656-0372  between  7-10  pm  Mondays. 
□Gayllne  West.  453-GGCO.  Community  into  for  Mississauga  and 
parts  west  of  Metro. 

□Glad  Day  Bookshop.  648A  Yonge  St.  2nd  floor.  M5Y  2A6. 
961-4161 .  Mon  10-8;  Tue-Wed  10-6;  Thurs-Fri  10-9;  Sat  10-6. 
□Grapevine,  Box  38,  Stn  E,  M6H  4E1   Lesbian  Mothers'  Defense 
Fund  newsletter.  2-3  issues/year. 
□Lesbian  Archives.  Box  928.  Stn  Q.  M4T  2P1 . 
□Lesblan/Lesbienne.  National  newsletter,  367-0589  (Kerry). 
□Metamorphosis.  Box  5963.  StnA.  M5W  1P4.  Newsletter  tor 
transsexuals. 

□North  American  Transvestite-Transsexual  Contact  Service 
(Seattle).  "250  Canadian  members."  (206)  624-8266  (24  hrs) 
□Rites.  Magazine  for  lesbian  and  gay  liberation.  Box  65.  Stn  F, 
M4Y  2L4. 

□Sound  Women,  c/o  Ryerson  Women's  Centre,  SURPI,  380  Vic- 
toria St,  M5B  1W7.  Ryerson  women's  radio  show  collective.  Les- 
bian and  feminist  music,  interviews  and  announcements.  Sundays 
al  noon.  CKLN-FM88.1.  To  place  announcements,  call  598-9838 
□Toronto  Women's  Bookstore.  73  Harbord  St,  M5S  1G4. 
922-8744 

I  'The  Web.  821-1416  Free  monthly  newsletter  of  women's 
events.  Available  at  SCM  Bookstore.  519  Church  St  Community 
Centre.  Cameo,  Together,  Toronto  Rape  Crisis  Centre,  or  MCC. 


WOMEN'S 


The  following  is  a  select  list  ol  women 's  services  in  Toronto  of  par- 
ticular interest  to  lesbians. 

□Broadside.  Box  494,  Stn  P,  M5S  2T1.  598-3513  Monthly  fem- 
inist newspaper  Substantial  contributions  by  lesbians. 
□Constance  Hamilton  Housing  Co-op.  For  women  only  523  Melita 
Cres,  M6G  3X9.  532-8860. 

□Fireweed.  Box  279.  Stn  B,  M5T  2W2  977-8681   Feminist  quar- 
terly of  politics  and  the  arts 

□Hassle-Free  Clinic  —  Women.  556  Church  St,  second  floor, 
M4Y  2E3.  922-0566,  Free  medical  clinic.  Birth  control  and  gyne- 
cological info.  VD  and  pregnancy  testing,  abortion  counselling  and 
referrals.  Hours;  Mon.  Wed.  Fri.  10  am-3  pm,  Tues.  Thur.  4  pm- 
9  pm.  Call  ahead. 

International  Women's  Day  Committee   Box  70,  Stn  F.  M4Y  2L4 
789-4541   Independent  socialist  feminist  organization 
□Jessie's  Centre  for  Teenage  Women.  154  Bathurst  St.  M5V  2R3 
365-1888  Multi-service  agency.  Lesbian-positive 
□Macphail  House.  389  Church  St.  M5B  2A1  977-1037  Long- 
term  YWCA  residence  for  women  16-25.  Shared  co-op  apartments 
□Nellie's  Hostel  for  Women.  275A  Broadview  Ave.  M4M  2G8. 
461-1084  Temporary  hostel  for  women  16  and  over,  including 
mothers  with  children 

□Sistering.  Drop-in  centre  for  transient  women  Counselling  and 
referrals  for  housing,  doctors,  social  agencies,  etc.  Free  coffee  and 
lunch  in  a  non-threatening,  supportive  atmosphere.  Mon-Fri,  8 
am-4  pm.  Scadding  Court  Community  Centre.  707  Dundas  W  (at 
Bathurst).  366-0001 

I  IStop  86.  86  Madison  Ave,  M5R  2S4  922-3271 ,  Crisis  housing 
and  social  service  centre  for  women  under  25. 
□Times  Change  Women's  Employment  Centre.  22  Davisville  Ave, 
M4S  1 E8.  487-2807  9-5  Mon-Thurs,  9-2  Fri.  Employment  coun- 
selling, job  search  and  career  planning  workshops 
I  IToronto  Addicted  Women's  Sell-Help  Network.  Suite  202,  Box 
2213,  Stn  P.M5S2T2  Phoneline:  961-7319  Self-help  group  for 
women  addicted  lo  alcohol  and  other  drugs  Weekly  meetings. 
□Toronto  Area  Caucus  of  Women  and  the  Law.  Box  231,  Sin  B, 
M5T  2T2. 

□Toronto  Differently  Abled  Women's  Accessibility  Committee 
929-9327  (weekday  mornings). 

□Toronto  Rape  Crisis  Centre.  Box  6597.  Stn  A.  M5W  1X4  Crisis 
line  964-8080  Business  line  964-7477  Info,  self-defence 
courses 

i   Toronto  Women's  Housing  Co-op.  Coming  soon  Info  921-4755. 
'  U  ol  T  Women's  Newsmagazine.  For  feminists  on  and  off  cam- 
pus. 44  St  George  St.  2nd  fir,  M5S  2E4  Info  Brenda  534-4021 
I  Women  in  Trades,  c/o  Times  Change,  22  Davisville  St, 
M4S  1E8  534-1 161. 

Women's  Counselling,  Relerral  and  Education  Centre.  348  Col- 
lege St.  M5T  1S4  924-0766  Therapy,  counselling,  info 

Women's  Independent  Thoughtz  (WITZ).  Group  for  exchange  ot 
ideas  and  creative  endeavours  768-9496  or  536-3162. 

Women's  Media  Alliance,  c/o  940  Queen  St  E,  M4M  U7  Phyllis 
Waugh,  466-8840 

Women's  Resource  Centre.  OISE.  252  Bloor  St  W.  M5S  1V6 
923-6641 ,  Ext  244  Books,  periodicals,  audio  &  video  tapes 

Womenspons.  Women's  sports  store.  561  Mt  Pleasant  Rd  (sol 
Eglinton)  481-2531 

Womynly  Way  Productions  427  Bloor  St  W.  M5S  1X7 
925-6568.  Company  bringing  concerts,  dance  and  theatrical  per- 
formances to  the  city 


30  3  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY/AUGUST  1984 


Batman  and  Robin 
lived  together.  Wonder 
Woman  was  an  Amazon's 
Amazon.  But  comic-book 
superheroes  never,  never 
had  sex  —  especially  gay  sex. 
At  least  not  until  now,  that  is. 


COMING  OUT  IN  THE 


A  gay  tour  through  four-colour  f antasyland,  by  Brad  Fraser 


o 


7  hey  have  been  with  us  now  for 
more  than  fifty  years.  They 
have  played  some  part,  no 
matter  how  minor,  in  the 
childhood  of  most  every  per- 
son raised  in  North  America.  They  have 
been  maligned  as  tools  of  the  devil,  and 
praised  as  effective  educational  aids.  They 
have  been  called  disposable  junk  and  se- 
lected as  the  quintessential  example  of 
twentieth-century  Pop  Art.  They've  been 
burned,  banned  and  stored  in  climate-con- 
trolled vaults  to  prevent  their  deteriora- 
tion .  They've  been  used  as  toilet  paper  and 
displayed  in  some  of  the  most  prestigious 
museums  across  the  continent. 
They  are  comic  books. 
They  are  as  integrated  into  our  culture  as 
television  and  public  transit.  And,  like 
many  of  the  popular  media  over  the  past 
decade,  comic  books  seem  to  have  recently 
discovered  the  term  homosexual.  After 
making  inroads  into  the  theatre,  movies 
and  television,  gay  life  has  finally  attacked 
that  last  bastion  of  heterosexual  myth- 
making,  the  comic  book! 

Comic  books  as  we  know  them  began  in 
June  1938  with  the  first  issue  of  Action 
comics  and  the  introduction  of  Superman. 
There  had  been  earlier  attempts,  but  Ac- 
tion comics  Number  One  was  the  first  pub- 
lication to  exploit  the  new  format ,  and  it  set 
the  precedent  for  all  comic  books.  With 
Superman  and  the  other  characters  who 
followed  in  his  successful  footsteps,  the  art 
of  graphic  storytelling  was  born  and,  at  a 
nickel  or  ten  cents  a  shot,  it  wasn't  long  be- 
fore comic  books  became  one  of  the  most 
lucrative  ventures  in  the  magazine  publish- 
ing business.  Other  publishers  followed 
suit  and  in  a  few  short  years,  the  market 
exploded. 

The  years  from  1938  to  1950  are  known 
as  the  Golden  Age  of  comics.  Superman 
became  the  pattern  for  almost  all  super- 
hero comics  ever  published.  Over  the  years 
his  popularity  has  waxed  and  waned,  but 
he  has  always  held  on,  while  such  worthies 
as  The  Green  Lantern,  The  Flash,  Plastic 
Man,  The  Human  Torch,  Captain  Marvel 


(and  his  entire  family:  Captain  Marvel 
Junior,  Mary  Marvel  and  Marvel  Bunny), 
Captain  America  and  Bulletman  rose  to 
the  heights  of  best-sellerdom,  only  to  fall 
from  favour.  Likewise,  we  have  lost,  per- 
haps with  few  regrets,  such  dubious  pro- 
tectors of  mankind  and  the  American  way 
as  The  Green  Lama,  Spy  Smasher,  The 
Sandman,  The  Whizzer  (who  got  his  super 
powers  through  a  transfusion  of  mon- 
goose blood),  the  Red  Bee  and  Phantom 
Lady. 

But,  whether  they  were  inspired  or  ludi- 
crous, all  of  these  superheroes  had  their 
day.  They  fought  crime,  saved  the  world 
and  protected  their  fellow  man.  One  thing 
they  never  did,  though,  was  have  sex. 
None.  Not  ever.  Sex  in  comics  was  a  com- 
plete no-no. 


There  was  one  man,  however,  who 
thought  the  early  comics  were  cover-to- 
cover  sleaze. 

In  1954,  Dr  Frederic  Wertham's  book 
The  Seduction  of  the  Innocent  was  releas- 
ed. All  hell  broke  loose. 

Wertham's  strident  and  rather  hysterical 
book  expounded  endlessly  on  how  comics 
endangered  America's  youth,  and  claimed 
that  comics  could  be  tied  directly  to  the 
problem  of  juvenile  delinquency.  Sudden- 
ly, it  became  clear  to  an  entire  generation 
of  middle-aged,  middle-class  parents  just 
why  their  children  were  so  radically  differ- 
ent from  them.  It  wasn't  the  atomic  threat, 
it  wasn't  the  Russians,  it  wasn't  the  movies, 
television  or  the  educational  system.  It  was 
comic  books.  Senate  hearings  were  called. 
Wertham  described  in  graphic  detail  how 
comics  wallowed  in  crime,  gore  and  gener- 
al bad  taste  —  as  we  all  know,  America  was 
obsessed  with  bad  taste  in  the  Fifties. 
Then,  once  he  was  sure  he  had  the  country 
watching,  he  pulled  his  ultimate  trump 
card,  guaranteed  to  give  him  everyone's 
undivided  attention.  Sex. 

Yes.  Sex.  Wertham  claimed  to  have 
found  evidence  of  bondage,  sadism,  maso- 
chism and  (gasp!)  homosexuality  in  chil- 
dren's comic  books. 

Today,  The  Seduction  of  the  Innocent 
and  the  furor  it  created  seem  laughable. 
But  the  shock  and  outrage  it  provoked  then 
were  very  real .  Particularly  when  Wertham 
raised  his  accusing  finger,  pointed  it  at  Bat- 
man and  Robin  —  those  paragons  of  cama- 
raderie and  fair  play  —  and  accused  them 
of  being  homosexuals! 

Wertham  charged  that  because  Batman 
and  Robin  shared  the  same  quarters  (state- 
ly Wayne  Manor,  mind  you,  not  a  one-bed- 
room fiat  in  Soho),  were  shown  occasion- 
ally lounging  about  in  housecoats  and 
seemed  to  enjoy  one  another's  company 
more  than  women's,  they  had  to  be  a  gay 
couple. 

Wertham  strengthened  his  case  by  find- 
ing an  actual  homosexual  to  testify  that  he 
would  have  been  quite  happy  to  trade 
places  with  cither  of  the  Dynamic  Duo.  To 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  U  JULY  /AUGUST  1984  □  31 


Behind  closed 
doors  at  stately 
Wayne  Manor 

Right,  in  an  episode  from  1943, 
Batman  and  Robin  disrobe  and  head 
to  bed  as  Bruce  Wayne  and 
Dick  Grayson 

Below,  1955:  the  "insufferably 
wholesome"  Aunt  Agatha,  a 
chaperone  Inspired  by  the  Comics 
Code,  catches  the  boys  sneaking 
out.  (In  the  next  panel,  she  makes 
them  come  back  and  put  on  their 
rubbers....) 


LATE*,    AS  THE   APVENTUBER9 
TO   GO  to  8BP... 


PREPARE 


FIMA&Nf 
A    PlMWlT    LIKE    HIM    FIND- 
ING   uS  WM6N   9CME  OF  TuE 
9MAKTH9T  MEW    IN  THE    «0«lP 

have    raise?  ANP   Fv&ILED.1 
Oh,  Oh-- SOMEONE'S 
S.        AT  THE  OOO*- 


ANS'AEJt 


most  people  at  the  hearings,  this  was 
proof-positive  of  the  doctor's  libelous 
charges.  I  wouldn't  dream  of  questioning 
the  mental  state  of  the  poor  fellow  coerced 
into  making  such  a  statement  publicly,  but 
I  would  like  to  go  on  record  as  saying,  were 
it  remotely  feasible,  I  too  would  be  quite 
willing  to  switch  places  with  either  Batman 
or  Robin.  The  jawline  alone  would  be 
worth  the  switch  —  to  say  nothing  of  own- 
ing stately  Wayne  Manor,  being  able  to 
swing  about  the  rooftops  of  Gotham  City 
on  a  silken  rope,  and  being  the  idol  of 
millions. 

Not  content  with  slandering  Bats  and  the 
Boy  Wonder,  Wertham  turned  his  homo- 
phobic theories  on  none  other  than  every- 
body's favourite  eagle-breasted  Amazon, 
Wonder  Woman.  Not  only  was  Wonder 
Woman  a  lesbian  because  she  hailed  from  a 
magical  isle  on  which  no  man  could  set 
foot,  she  was  also  a  sadist  because  she  and 
her  equally  Amazonian  sisters  slugged  vil- 
lains who  were  men.  They  also  slugged  vil- 
lains who  were  women.  One  can  only  guess 
what  that  made  them.  This  time  Wertham 
didn't  bother  to  call  a  lesbian  to  testify  that 
she  would  gladly  trade  places  with  Wonder 
Woman.  He  didn't  have  to.  Wertham  had 
done  his  job. 

All  that  talk  of  sex  and  juvenile  delin- 
quency had  reached  eager  ears.  Comics 
suffered  a  crippling  blow  when,  in  late 
1954,  the  few  companies  actually  left  in 
business  banded  together  to  protect  their 
livelihood  by  proclaiming  what  was  to  be 
known  as  "The  Comics  Code." 

The  Comics  Code  put  a  quick  end  to  the 
so-called  "Golden  Age"  of  comics,  and 
rushed  in  a  period  of  such  homogenization 
and  silliness  that  it's  remarkable  they  man- 
aged to  survive  at  all.  The  Code's  stringent 
rules  required  that  no  sympathy  could  be 
created  for  a  criminal,  that  policemen 
should  always  be  shown  in  a  manner  that 
would  create  respect  for  authority,  that  no 
scenes  of  lust,  sadism  or  masochism  could 
be  shown,  that  vulgarity  and  symbols  with 
undesirable  meanings  should  be  avoided. 
Nudity,  indecent  or  undue  exposure  or  illi- 
cit sex  could  not  be  hinted  at,  stories  were 
never  to  stimulate  the  lower  or  baser  emo- 
tions and,  finally,  sexual  perversion  was 
strictly  forbidden.  Gone  in  an  instant  were 
all  the  innocent  kinkiness  and  quasi-real- 
ism  that  had  made  the  comics  so  much  fun. 
Superheroes  flew  off  into  space  where  the 
parameters  of  crime  were  not  so  clearly  de- 
fined —  how  can  you  arrest  someone  for 
wanting  to  conquer  the  earth?  But  no- 
where was  the  impact  of  the  Code  more 
blatantly  felt  that  in  the  life  of  the  former 
creature  of  the  night,  Batman. 

No  longer  were  Batman  and  Robin  the 
carefree,  misogynist  bachelors  they  had 
once  been.  They  were  immediately  saddled 
with  enough  female  company  to  reassure 
even  the  most  homophobic  reader.  The  Bat- 
woman,  a  former  circus  performer  with  a 
crush  on  Batman,  was  introduced.  And, 
just  to  balance  things  out  nicely,  her  niece 
adopted  the  guise  of  the  green-and-red- 
clad  Batgirl.  Together  they  drove  the  dy- 
namic duo  to  distraction  by  butting  in  on 
their  most  important  cases  and  demanding 
kisses  for  their  uninvited  aid .  Even  the  but- 
ler Alfred  was  written  out  of  the  strip  for  a 
time,  and  replaced  by  Bruce  Wayne's  in- 
sufferably wholesome  Aunt  Agatha.  Al- 
though it  was  never  shown,  it  certainly  isn't 
difficult  to  imagine  this  wizened  busybody 
standing  guard  outside  the  bedroom  doors 
to  quell  any  unnatural  hanky-panky  that 
the  caped  crusaders  might  be  tempted  to  in- 
dulge in  after  a  hard  night  of  beating  on  the 
Joker.  Finally,  to  complete  this  picture  of 
domestic  bliss,  Ace  the  Bathound  found 
his  way  into  the  strip  —  and  the  once  fear- 
some Batman  found  himself  in  Father 
Knows  Best. 

Comics  may  have  continued  in  this  vein 
indefinitely  if  it  hadn't  been  for  an  innova- 
tive young  publisher  by  the  name  of  Stan 
Lee.  Already  a  veteran  writer  of  comic 


32  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


stories  in  1961,  Lee  took  over  as  publisher 
for  the  second-rate  Timely  line,  changed 
the  company's  name  to  Marvel  Comics, 
created  the  Fantastic  Four  and  Spiderman 
—  and  set  in  motion  the  wheels  of  a  revolu- 
tion that  would  set  the  Code-haunted  in- 
dustry on  its  ear. 

^^F  ee's  Fantastic  Four  were  the 
JM    closest  thing  to  thinking,  feel- 
f  ~     ing  human  beings  ever  seen  in 
^|^^^^     four-colour  pages.  TTiis  hu- 
^^^^^^     manizationofthe  hero  became 
the  trademark  of  the  Marvel  line.  Heroes 
like  Thor,  Daredevil,  the  newly  revamped 
Captain  America,  the  X-Men  and  Doctor 
Strange  fought,  laughed,  loved,  felt  hap- 
py, sad  and  lonely  just  like  real  people. 
And  for  the  first  time  in  their  history,  comic 
books  were  suddenly  being  taken  seriously 
as  something  more  than  adventure  fanta- 
sies aimed  at  children.  College  students 
were  buying  the  books,  the  artwork  was  be- 
ing displayed  in  museums  and  Stan  Lee  was 
doing  university  lecture  tours.  Comic- 
book readers  were  becoming  more  de- 
manding and  outspoken,  and  the  heroes 
were  growing  up.  Sue  Richards  (AKA  The 
Invisible  Girl,  wife  of  the  Fantastic  Four's 
leader,  the  appropriately  named  Mr  Fan- 
tastic) became  pregnant .  In  one  precedent- 
setting  story,  Spiderman  encountered  a  kid 
s.    strung  out  on  hard  drugs.  One  of  the  most 
|    strictly  enforced  rules  of  the  Code  was  a 
a    ban  on  mentioning  drugs  in  any  way.  Mar- 
|    vel  released  the  book  without  the  approval 
%    of  the  Comics  Code  —  the  first  time  a  maj- 
|    or  company  had  attempted  such  a  move  in 
5    more  than  fifteen  years.  Amazingly 
•a    enough,  the  distributors  picked  up  the 
1    book  and  sold  it.  The  Code  had  begun  to 
z    lose  its  power. 

£  Sex,  too,  began  to  appear  in  comics 
-  again  in  the  late  Sixties  —  most  obviously 
§  with  the  female  characters.  Breasts  and 
©  hips  were  expanding  by  the  month.  The 
•=  squeaky-clean,  fey  stereotype  was  being 
|  replaced  by  the  buxom,  sultry  stereotype. 
8  Nick  Fury,  agent  of  S.H.I.E.L.D.  (a  James 
J  Bond  clone),  was  shown  eating  breakfast 
|  with  his  main  squeeze,  Val.  The  implica- 
i  tion  was  obvious.  She  had  been  there  all 
|    night. 

|        Despite  all  this  new-found  freedom, 
t    there  was  one  subject  the  comic  publishers, 
writers  and  artists  still  wouldn't  touch. 
You've  got  it.  Homosexuality!  It  may  have 
been  fine  to  intimate  that  Nick  Fury  was 
chucking  it  to  Val,  even  to  imply  that  Su- 
perman's relationship  with  the  now-liber- 
ated Lois  Lane  was  something  more  than 
platonic,  but  the  love  that  dare  not  sp'eak 
its  name  was  still  poison.  The  only  vaguely 
gay  characters  in  the  Sixties  and  early 
Seventies  are  extremely  dubious  cases.  The 
first  is  the  insidious  Star  Saxon.  Saxon 
spent  a  few  issues  of  Daredevil  tormenting 
our  blind  hero  and,  quite  honestly,  if  there 
was  anything  remotely  gay  about  him  I 
didn't  see  it.  It  wasn't  until  some  years 
later,  in  fact,  that  the  question  of  Saxon's 
sexuality  came  up.  The  character's  crea- 
tor, Barry  Smith,  claimed  that  he  had  con- 
ceived and  attempted  to  illustrate  Saxon  as 
a  homosexual,  but  admits  it  didn't  work 
very  well.  It  may  have  been  for  the  best.  If 
I    there's  one  thing  we  don't  need,  it's  anoth- 
o    er  villain  who  is  a  homosexual  by  implica- 
tion. The  other  maybe-he-is-maybe-he- 
5    isn't  character  was  a  villain  called  Scorpio, 
f    Scorpio  had  been  flitting  about  the  Marvel 
universe  for  years,  but  his  identity  and 
disposition  had  never  been  explored  until 
§    he  returned  to  the  pages  of  The  Defenders 
§■    in  the  mid-Seventies.  In  these  stories,  Scor- 
g    pio   passes   time   listening   to  old   Judy 
Garland  records  and  lamenting  how  cruel- 
|     ly  the  world  had  treated  poor  Dorothy 
8     when  she  was  alive.  Some  might  call  this 
slim  evidence  —  but  I  defy  them  to  find  a 
Judy  record  in  the  collections  of  any  of 
|    their  straight  male  friends. 

During  the  Seventies,  comic-book  char- 


acters continued  to  evolve,  and  over  the 
last  few  years  we  have  seen,  if  not  a  prolif- 
eration, at  least  a  healthy  smattering  of  gay 
characters. 

As  usual,  Marvel  was  the  company  to 
open  the  door,  though  in  most  cases  it's  all 
very  subtle.  Things  have  come  a  long  way 
since  Daredevil  Number  96,  in  which  the 
deranged  villain,  Bullseye,  kidnaps  a  pair 
of  most  unattractive  young  men  in  a  dark- 
ened movie  theatre.  The  Maltese  Falcon  is 
playing  and  we  are  subjected  to  panel  after 
panel  of  our  two  nebbish  friends  discuss- 
ing, in  awed  tones,  the  performances  of 
Bogart  and  Askor.  The  conversation  is  not 
overtly  gay,  but  the  underlying  feeling  is 
most  definitely  academic  New  York  fag- 
got. Suddenly  the  deranged  Evil  Person 
bursts  into  the  theatre,  knocks  off  half  the 
patrons  and  takes  our  two  Serious  Film 
People  hostage.  He  forces  them  to  take 
him  to  "their"  apartment .  They  even  say  it 
—  "It...  it's  our  apartment.  That's  all." 
And  judging  from  its  tiny  size,  it's  not  dif- 
ficult to  conclude  that  the  place  does  not 
have  a  second  bedroom.  Frank  Miller,  the 
artist /writer  who  created  this  story,  did  a 
very  successful  run  of  The  Daredevil  series 
in  which  he  explored  the  seamier  side  of 
New  York  City.  In  another  issue,  Miller 
took  his  hero  into  a  leather  bar  filled  with 
smoke,  makeshift  tables  and  sweaty,  half- 
dressed  bodies.  It  seems  the  perfect  arche- 
type of  the  gay  leather  bar.  Though  there 
are  women  present,  and  the  story  concerns 
a  heterosexual  rapist  in  a  brown  leather 
bondage  mask,  the  atmosphere  is  very 
much  as  in  the  film  Cruising. 

Another  series  in  the  Marvel  line  de- 
serves mention,  not  because  of  gay  charac- 
ters, but  because  of  its  strong  gay  themes. 
It's  called  The  Uncanny  X-Men  and  con- 
cerns a  group  of  superpowered  young  peo- 
ple who  are  shunned  and  feared  by  man- 
kind because  they  are  mutants  with  powers 
which  usually  manifest  themselves  (just 
like  sexuality)  around  puberty.  Although 
there  is  usually  nothing  frightening  or 
threatening  about  these  powers,  mutants 
are  hated  by  their  non-mutant  brothers. 
The  X-Men  transcends  the  usual  adventure 
comic  because  it  constantly  deals  with 
alienation  and  loneliness,  of  being  differ- 
ent from  everyone  else  even  though  you 
look  the  same.  Again,  the  implications 
should  be  obvious.  Writers  of  the  series 
have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  deal  with  a  story 
everyone  of  us  should  be  familiar  with .  The 
Oh-my-god-how-am-I-going-to-tell-my- 
parents-I'm-not-what-they-think-I-am 
story.  Mutants,  like  many  young  homo- 
sexuals, have  to  go  through  the  pain,  inde- 
cision and  possible  heartbreak  of  having  to 
come  out  of  their  genetically  altered  closet . 
In  a  fan  interview,  Chris  Claremont,  the 
writer  of  the  series  for  the  last  ten  years, 
said  that  fan  mail  seems  to  indicate  the 
X-Men  have  a  large  gay  following.  It's  not 
surprising. 

But  the  most  successful  and  interesting 
of  Marvel's  gay  characters  is  found,  sur- 
prisingly enough,  in  the  life  of  one  of  the 
comic's  oldest  and  most  conservative  su- 
perheroes  —  none  other  than  that  eternal 
Sentinel  of  Liberty,  the  red-white-and- 
blue-clad  Captain  America.  After  disap- 
pearing into  comic-book  limbo  in  the  mid- 
Fifties,  Captain  America  was  revived  by 
Marvel  in  theearly  Sixties.  The  strip  always 
had  a  liberal  tone,  although  Captain  Am- 
erica remained  the  America-love-it-or- 
leave-it  type  he  had  always  been.  But 
through  the  Sixties  and  Seventies  all  kinds 
of  maligned  minorities  were  saved  from  in- 
justice and  prejudice  by  the  good  captain. 
For  a  time  he  even  took  on  a  black  partner. 
So  it  wasn't  surprising  to  Cap's  fans  when  a 
gay  character  was  introduced.  And,  unlike 
other  gay  characters  in  the  comics.  Cap's 
friend  Arnie  is  not  a  villain,  a  mutant  or 
comedy  relief.  He's  just  a  middle-aged 
man  trying  to  do  the  best  he  can  with  what 
the  world  has  to  offer.  Wc  first  meet  Arnic 
and  his  much-loved  roommate  Michael 


YOU  SEE  .GIRLS,  THERE'S  NOTH 
ING  TO  IT-  ALL  YOU  HAVE  TO  00 
IS  HAVE  CONFIDENCE  IN  YOUR 
OWN  STRENGTH  I 


A  magic  isle 
where  no  man 
could  set  foot 


Suffering  Sappho!  In  these  two 
panels  from  1945,  Wonder  Woman 
demonstrates  the  benefits  of 
Amazon  training  to  her  sisters 


Sentinel  of  Liberty  —  and  friend 

Marvel's  1984  Captain  America  comforts  Arnie,  who'd  been  captured 
by  villains  and  made  to  call  himself  "a  menace  to  society...  a  disease" 


...THEY   CAN'T  CORRUPT  YOUR  LOVE    FOR  MICHAEL 
WITH    THEIR  LIES    ANY   MORE    THAN  THEY  CAN 
CORRUPT  /V\V   LOVE    FOR   8ERN1E/ 


DO  YOU    HEAR   ME. 
ARNIE?   THEY'RE 
THE    PARIAHS/ 
THEY'RE  THE 

DISEASE/  THEY-- 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  :  I  JULY/AUGUST  WK4       33 


Superheroes  and  vampires 


Right:  mixed 
reactions  to  bisexual 
hero  (and  divine 
dancer)  "Paradox" 
in  Marvel's  Bizarre 
Adventures,  February 
1982 


pur  vc*i  p,fjj'T  r»~r  au    ■'«.-  w,^ 
i  our  hekc  to  N<?wRt    trroA 

;  l.FC  .  -  -''.  SG  V.k.ivG  -r.,vlt  Jvwav 
i  FKC.V.    W\    "Afj.    \.v.'.£1    TO    THf 
PC  i  N  T 


"Daughters  off  the  Dragon,"  from  Bizarre  Adventures,  March  1981:  Vampire 
Angle  gets  what  she's  after  —  but  also  gets  a  stake  in  the  heart 


In  "Greenberg  the  Vampire"  (Bizarre  Adventures,  October  1981),  the  mys- 
terious stranger  zaps  boy- with-dog  Bob  (he  ends  up  a  pile  of  leather  regalia  in 
a  heap  of  dust)  and  sends  his  collar  to  Bob's  lover  Leopold  —  also  a  vampire 


.   .A9  A  0OyAHP  #tS 
WAl* 


C  'fi\OH     J"OAN    HOtV  LONG 

ARE  YOU  GONNA 
be*  rve  GOT  PLACED 
to  go-  -  People  to  -seE 


when  evil  Baron  Zemo  strikes  out  at  Cap- 
tain America  by  attacking  his  friends.  Ar- 
nie  and  Michael  are  kidnapped,  Cap  at- 
tempts to  save  them  and  Michael  is  killed. 
Arnie,  beside  himself  with  grief,  lashes  out 
at  Captain  America,  whines  and  then 
faints.  Hardly  heroic  behaviour.  But  how 
would  you  react  if  your  lover  were  killed  by 
a  mutated  man-rat  named  Vermin? 

That's  not  the  end  of  it,  however.  In  the 
thick  of  battle  Arnie  redeems  himself  by  re- 
viving and  helping  Captain  America  defeat 
the  villains.  The  funeral  follows,  and  Arnie 
proves  himself  astrong  and  resourceful  hu- 
man being.  Even  though  he  and  Michael 
had  been  together  since  World  War  Two, 
Arnie  resolves  not  to  let  his  grief  consume 
him,  allowing  the  memory  of  what  he  and 
his  "roommate"  shared  to  carry  him  for- 
ward. For  a  time  Arnie  disappeared  from 
the  strip,  but  has  recently  been  shown 
coping  with  life  alone.  In  a  recent  issue, 
Captain  America,  his  ex-partner  the  Fal- 
con and  his  new  partner  Nomad  pay  Arnie 
a  late-night  visit.  Arnie  speaks  of  the  trou- 
ble he  is  still  having  coping  with  Michael's 
death.  Later  on,  as  Cap  and  Nomad  are 
leaping  over  the  rooftops  of  Manhattan, 
Nomad  remarks, ' '  I  tell  you,  I  feel  kinda. . . 
sorry  for  Arnie."  Cap  says,  "He  doesn't 
need  pity,  Jack.  But  he  does  need  friends. 
He's  a  very  frightened  and  very  lonely 
man."  Nomad  asks,  "What...  else  is  he?" 
Cap  says,  "What  do  you  mean?"  Nomad 
replies,  "Well...  the  way  he  talks  about 
that  Michael  you'd  think..."  Unfortun- 
ately, the  conversation  is  interrupted  by  a 
giant  flying  crow.  It's  obvious  that  Arnie 
has  rejoined  Captain  America's  cast  of 
characters,  and  writer  J  M  DeMatties 
should  be  applauded  for  his  compassion- 
ate and  sensitive  portrayal  of  Arnie. 

D.C.  Comics,  the  other  major  company, 
is,  as  usual,  light  years  behind  Marvel  when 
it  comes  to  realism  and  relevance.  One  has 
to  search  hard  and  long  to  find  anything 
that  appears  gay  in  their  comics .  Of  course, 
there's  the  odd  relationship  hinted  at  be- 
tween the  man-hating  Killer  Frost  and  the 
Cheetah.  But,  as  we  all  know,  hatred  of 
men  does  not  necessarily  a  lesbian  make  — 
even  though  the  two  women  stroke  one  an- 
other's faces  and  refer  to  each  other  as 
"Darling." 

Then  there  are  two  rather  odd  villains  in 
the  pages  of  The  Vigilante.  Henry  and 
Marschall,  when  not  doing  hired  killings, 
spend  their  time  together  holed  up  in  sleazy 
hotel  rooms  saying  things  like  "Henry 
m'love...  we  don't  have  to  work  for  any- 
one else...  we  can  take  over  their  gangs. 
Just  the  two  of  us."  "Marschall,  I  love  it... 
I  simply  love  it." 

Things  are  a  little  more  positive  in  D .  C.  's 
new  limited  maxi-series,  Camelot  3000.  A 
futuristic  retelling  of  the  King  Arthur 
legends,  Camelot  3000  has  one  of  the  most 
interesting  plot  twists  I've  ever  encoun- 
tered in  a  comic  book.  Sir  Tristan,  lover  of 
King  Mark's  wife,  Isolde!,  in  the  medieval 
legend,  is  reincarnated  a;  a  woman.  He  is 
not  happy  about  this.  To  make  matters 
worse,  his  one  true  love  from  the  good  old 
days  is  also  reincarnated,  but  still  as  a 
woman.  Tristan  curses  his  lost  masculinity 
and  his  love  for  Isolde,  but  a  confrontation 
finally  occurs,  climaxing  in  a  very  graphic- 
ally depicted  kiss  between  the  two  women. 
Tristan  races  from  the  apartment  in  tears, 
saying,  "No!  I  love  you...  and  I  will  love 
you...  But  not  like  this! f  Apparently,  in 
the  year  3000  lesbian  love  is  as  radical  an 
issue  as  it  is  for  many  people  now.  What  a 
shame.  One  would  like  to  think  by  then 
that  we  would  have  made  a  little  progress. 

If  the  major  publishers  are  slightly  reti- 
cent about  gay  issues,  the  new  companies 
are  doing  better.  Again,  Marvel  has  taken 
the  lead.  Their  Bizarre  Adventures,  an  over- 
size black-and-white  publication,  contains 
' '  Daughters  of  the  Dragon,' '  a  story  about 
a  pair  of  female  private  investigators  which 
plays  with  vampirism  and  lesbian  erotica. 
Another  piece  has  a  vampire  named  Bob  in 


full  leather  regalia  walking  his  dog  Joan 
down  a  dark  street.  Bob  is  quickly  killed, 
and  his  spiked  dog  collar  is  sent  to  his  lover, 
a  very  elegant  vampire  named  Leopold. 
The  final  story  in  Bizarre  Adventures  fea- 
tures not  one  gay  character  but  two,  and  a 
bisexual  hero.  What  more  could  you  ask 
for  your  dollar  fifty? 

First  Comics,  a  relatively  new  company, 
has  also  used  its  non-Code  status  to  deal 
with  gay  characters  —  mostly  in  their 
humour /adventure /satire  book,  E-Man. 
In  a  very  well-done  satire  of  Marvel's 
X-Men  series,  E-Man  comes  up  against  the 
F-Men  and  their  arch-foe  Jason  Right- 
guard  —  alias  Masternose,  manipulator  of 
noxious  smells  and  a  preening,  mincing 
queen. 

Eclipse  Comics  has  introduced  a  pair  of 
gay  lovers  in  Sabre  —  two  men  who  go  un- 
der the  names  of  Deuces  Wild  and  Summer 
Ice.  Deuces  and  Summer  are  treated  in  a 
very  humane,  non-stereotypical  manner. 
Writer  Don  McGregor  has  also  given  sensi- 
tive treatment  to  a  lesbian  couple  in  his  in- 
dependently sold  graphic  album,  Detective 
Inc. 

In  Justice  Machine,  Texas  Comics  may 
have  set  a  precedent  by  creating  the  first- 
ever  gay  superhero.  In  the  first  issue,  it  is 
implied  that  the  leader  of  the  Justice  Ma- 
chine (a  band  of  superpowered  beings 
fighting  evil  everywhere)  may  be  in  love 
with  his  fellow  crime-buster,  the  impul- 
sive, hard-living  Demon.  Unfortunately, 
the  truth  will  never  be  known  as  the  neo- 
phyte publishing  company  went  under  be- 
fore another  issue  could  be  published. 


5o  —  good  or  bad  —  gays  have 
entered  the  world  of  comic 
books.  What's  next?  Will  some- 
one at  one  of  the  major  com- 
panies see  the  light  and  realize 
that,  if  one  in  ten  people  is  gay,  then  the 
world  of  the  superhero  needs  a  representa- 
tive or  two  from  a  significant  sector  of  the 
population?  The  Legion  of  Superheroes, 
for  example,  numbers  upwards  of  twenty 
characters  from  all  across  the  galaxy,  and 
even  though  there  are  green-skinned  char- 
acters, albino  characters  and  grey  charac- 
ters who  look  like  rocks,  there  isn't  one  gay 
character.  Is  this  because,  in  the  year  2984, 
they  have  finally  found  a  way  to  eliminate 
homosexuality  —  but  not  crime?  Or  be- 
cause old  prejudices  continue  to  exist  de- 
spite all  the  other  advances  mankind  seems 
to  have  made  after  a  thousand  years?  Will 
the  more  popular  titles  push  to  include  a 
gay  character?  Or  —  and  the  fan  press 
seems  concerned  about  this  at  the  moment 
—  will  parents  look  at  their  children's  fun- 
ny books  and  cry  out  in  shock  and  horror  at 
the  sex  and  violence  that  permeates  so 
much  of  the  comic  world  today? 

Comic  books  are  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar forms  of  entertainment.  While  the 
movie  industry,  television  and  the  theatre 
are  scrambling  to  regain  a  portion  of  their 
former  power,  comics  are  undergoing  a 
renaissance  that  is  lifting  them  towards 
heights  they  haven't  seen  since  the  end  of 
the  last  world  war.  With  the  current  move 
toward  the  right  and  the  wave  of  conserva- 
tism sweeping  the  continent,  it  should  be 
very  interesting  to  see  where  it  all  leads.  □ 


Brad  Fraser  is  a  playwright  whose  works  have 
been  produced  from  coast  to  coast.  He  is  also  an 
avid  comic-book  fan,  and  is  working  on  a  future 
article  about  comics  produced  by  and  for  gay 
people. 

Illustrations  of  Batman  and  Wonder  Woman  in 
this  article  are  from  Batman  From  the  30s  to  the 
70s,  Bonanza  Books,  New  York,  197 I;  and  from 
The  Encyclopedia  of  Comic  Book  Heroes,  Vol- 
ume 1  —  Batman,  and  Volume  2  —  Wonder 
Woman,  -both  by  Michael  L  Fleisher,  Collier 
Books,  New  York,  1976. 


2 

5 


34  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


DELIBERATIONS 

Brian  Mossop  on  privacy,  pleasure  and  fraternity 

Dancing  by  yourself 


//||  t's  raining  men,"  the  loud- 
■■II   speakers  proclaimed,  and  I  de- 
I  cided  to  go  out  on  the  dance- 
I  floor  and  get  wet.  I  began  near 
I  a  group  of  men  I  knew,  but 
then  I  floated  off  alone.  Yet  I  didn't  feel 
lonely.  Instead,  I  had  a  sense  of  dancing 
with  everyone  on  the  floor. 

This  brief  revelation  of  a  dance  floor 
as  five  hundred  men  dancing  with  all  the 
others,  rather  than  two  hundred  fifty 
isolated  couples,  is  for  me  an  image  of 
what  gay  liberation  is  all  about:  an 
image  of  fraternity. 

Remember  the  motto  of  the  French 
Revolution:  liberty,  equality,  fraternity? 
For  two  hundred  years  now,  people  have 
been  fighting  and  dying  for  liberty  and 
equality.  But  when  did  you  last  hear  a 
ringing  call  for  fraternity?  The  word 
pops  up  occasionally  but,  like  the  Third 
Person  of  the  Trinity,  not  much  is  ever 
said  about  it.  In  present-day  English, 
many  of  its  common  uses  have  unpleas- 
ant associations:  college  fraternities; 
fraternizing  with  the  enemy.  The  words 
"brotherhood"  and  "sisterhood"  are 
used  instead,  to  express  the  idea  that  we 
should  act  towards  other  human  beings 
as  if  they  were  members  of  our  own 
family. 

I've  never  liked  the  habit,  widespread 
in  a  variety  of  social  movements  includ- 
ing the  gay  movement,  of  addressing 
people  at  meetings  as  "brothers  and  sis- 
ters," and  I  don't  think  it's  just  because 
I  was  an  only  child.  For  once  you  define 
the  French  revolutionaries'  ideal  of 
universal  fellowship  in  family  terms  (the 
"brotherhood  of  man"  or  "sisterhood 
is  powerful"),  a  problem  arises:  the  very 
nature  of  family  life  contradicts  the 
ideal. 

Aside  from  the  fact  that  relations  be- 
tween siblings  can  be  quite  nasty,  the 
problem  is  that  a  family  is  just  me  plus 
you  and  perhaps  a  few  relatives.  Around 
this  nucleus,  electron-like,  some  friends 
may  circulate,  but  everyone  else  is  ex- 
cluded. Everyone  else  is  a  stranger.  And 
remember  what  your  mother  told  you 
about  strangers:  don't  talk  to  them. 
Strangers  are  "them,"  the  enemy  against 
which  the  fortress  of  our  family  has  been 
built.  If  there  were  no  excluded  stran- 
gers, there  would  be  no  family,  so  it 
makes  no  sense  to  say  we  should  treat 
strangers  as  "brothers  and  sisters." 

It's  not  hard  to  see  why  people  build 
domestic  fortresses.  The  public  world  of 
corporations,  bureaucracies  and  shop- 
ping centres,  an  uneasy  world  filled  with 
rumours  of  war,  is  a  dreary  and  often 
frightening  place.  The  trouble  is,  the 
more  people  retreat  to  private  and 
domestic  pursuits,  the  more  the  public 
world  deteriorates  into  a  mean-minded 
struggle  for  competitive  advantage,  and 
the  less  we  have  any  sense  of  even  local 
community,  never  mind  universal  fel- 
lowship. If  we  want  fellowship,  if  we 
want  fraternity,  then  we  must  play  down 
the  cult  of  private  home  life.  We  must 
"come  out"  into  the  public  world  and 
transform  it. 

• 
Though  he  or  she  may  later  become 
other  things,  the  stranger  is  at  first  a  sex- 
ual figure.  Sex:  that  is  the  centrifugal 
force  that  pulls  us  outward  from  the  lit- 
tle circle  of  those  we  know  to  embrace 


others.  Sex:  wrecker  of  domestic  for- 
tresses, builder  of  community.  I  think  of 
those  wonderful  lines  of  Frederich 
Schiller's  Ode  to  Joy,  written  four  years 
before  the  French  Revolution  began: 
Let  me  wrap  you  round  with  this  embrace, 

you  millions, 
This  kiss  I  give 
to  the  entire  world. 

Of  course,  here  in  Southern  Ontario, 
kissing  the  entire  world  would  come 
under  the  heading  of  "anonymous, 
animal-like  coupling  with  strangers." 
This  is  bad,  according  to  the  secularized 
Calvinist  morality  that  still  weighs  like  a 
nightmare  on  our  minds  and  bodies  in 
this  part  of  the  world.  The  ideal  is  to  rise 
up  out  of  the  gutter  and  leave  our  animal 
natures  behind  (you  know,  sex  is  dirty 
unless  redeemed  by  love,  and  all  that). 

Condemnation  of  any  sexual  pleasure 
that  is  unredeemed  by  coupledom  fits  in- 
to the  larger  pattern  of  Anglo-Canadian 
politics,  law  and  culture.  Our  society, 
remember,  is  not  devoted  to  the  pursuit 
of  anything  as  frivolous  as  happiness.  As 
Section  91  of  the  Constitution  puts  it, 
ours  are  the  more  sober  goals  of  Peace, 
Order  and  Good  Government.  Sudden 
sex  with  strangers  is  simply  not  very 
orderly,  and  the  Criminal  Code  stands 
ever-ready  to  suppress  it.  Peaceful 
domestic  fortress-building  is  the  Cana- 
dian way.  This  aspect  of  Anglo-Canadi- 
an life  was  on  show  a  while  ago  at  the 
Art  Gallery  of  Ontario:  the  paintings  of 
Nova  Scotia  artist  Alex  Colville  are  the 
perfect  embodiment  of  Order  (all  those 
violent  straight  lines)  and  Peace  (those 
remarkable  portrayals  of  Colville  and 
his  wife  in  which  the  couple  project  a 
cold,  silent  passivity,  as  if  they  were 
corpses  being  prepared  for  the  peace  of 
the  grave). 

Calvinist  morality  and  the  Cult  of 
Peace  and  Order  permeate  Ontoryan  so- 
ciety from  left  to  right.  The  dour  image 
of  the  NDP  and  of  most  Marxists  is  not 


just  a  media  creation.  From  the  way  they 
talk  about  socialism,  you'd  never  associ- 
ate it  with  hedonism  and  joy.  And  as  for 
feminists,  those  who  want  to  free 
women's  sexuality  are  being  drowned 
out  these  days  by  the  anti-porn  crusaders 
who,  while  supposedly  combatting  sex- 
ism, are  in  practice  —  whatever  their  in- 
tention —  combatting  sex. 

You  might  think  that  the  gay  move- 
ment would  be  a  haven  in  the  storm  here, 
a  place  where  sexual  pleasure  outside 
lover  relationships  would  not  be  treated 
as  a  cheap  thrill.  But  no  such  luck.  One 
letter  writer  in  the  October  1983  issue  of 
The  Body  Politic  solemnly  informs  us 
that  "promiscuity  reduces  sex  to  the  level 
of  a  mundane,  meaningless  experience 
that  lessens  the  individual's  feeling  of 
self-worth."  Another  announces  repen- 
tently  that  after  five  years  of  "countless 
men,"  he  had  discovered  that  "it  had  giv- 
en me  practically  nothing. . .  of  real  value." 
"Without  emotion,"  he  intones  from  his 
pulpit,  "an  orgasm  is  an  orgasm.  Real 
emotion,  not  prefabricated,  improves  the 
quality  of  the  act."  Elsewhere  he  implies 
that  the  only  "real"  emotion  is  what  he 
calls  the  "unconditional  love"  of  an  on- 
going relationship;  presumably  the  feel- 
ings one  has  during  an  orgasm  in  the  park 
are  "prefabricated,"  whatever  that 
means.  Rounding  out  this  dreary  litany,  a 
third  epistle-writer  exhorts  us  to  discuss 
the  difference  between  "libertinism"  and 
"liberation."  He  does  not  offer  any  def- 
initions, however  —  a  practice  perhaps 
borrowed  from  the  anti-porners,  who  are 
constantly  invoking  the  distinction  be- 
tween pornography  (bad)  and  erotica 
(good)  without  telling  us  what  it  is. 

• 
To  me,  an  orgasm  in  the  park  with  a 
stranger  is  not  "just  an  orgasm."  It's  an 
expression  of  fraternity.  And  1  think  the 
voices  that  have  been  promoting  anti- 
fraternal,  domestic  values  in  the  gay 
community  (earlier  in  the  name  of  re- 


spectability, now  often  in  the  disguise  of 
pseudo-scientific  warnings  about  AIDS) 
are  unlikely  to  be  successful. 

We  gay  people  have  traditionally  been 
excluded  from  home  life,  and  so  we  have 
created  an  alternate  public  life  that 
values  strangers.  At  one  time,  this  may 
have  been  seen  by  most  gays  as  second 
best,  a  poor  substitute  for  domestic  bliss 
and  "just  me  and  you"  romance.  But 
now  it  is  increasingly  an  enjoyed  way  of 
living.  There  is  a  trend  toward  seeing 
lover  relationships  as  important,  but  not 
the  centrepiece  of  existence.  And  mon- 
ogamy is  less  and  less  seen  as  central  to 
relationships,  precisely  because  that 
would  take  each  of  the  lovers  away  from 
the  larger  community  (monogamy  is 
theft,  as  my  lover  once  put  it). 

Gay  men  and  lesbians,  then,  are  the 
living  incarnation  of  what  traditional 
family  life  has  excluded:  sex  for  pleasure 
with  strangers,  and  the  fraternal,  anti- 
romantic,  public  way  of  life  that  goes 
with  it.  I  think  this  fact  about  us  ac- 
counts for  the  animosity  toward  us  of 
many  heterosexuals,  even  some  who  sup- 
port gay  rights.  For  the  lives  of  most 
heterosexuals  are  still  anchored  in 
private  domestic  life.  Except  for  a  de- 
creasing number  of  traditionalists  who 
fear  the  decline  of  life-long  monogam- 
ous marriage  with  the  woman  at  home, 
heterosexuals  are  not  worried  by  the  fact 
that  we  fail  to  marry  a  member  of  the 
opposite  sex.  At  most,  that  makes  us 
harmless  eccentrics.  What  is  worrying  is 
not  what  we  don  7  do,  but  what  we  do 
'instead.  We  make  home  life  (with  or 
without  a  lover,  with  or  without  chil- 
dren) secondary  to  public  life.  Our 
culture  is  not  a  cult  of  privacy,  not  a  cult 
of  couples.  There's  no  such  thing  as  a 
gay  singles  bar  because  we  are  all  single. 
Lover  relationships  are  transient  (with 
exceptions  like  the  one  of  the  present 
writer,  who  will  soon  be  celebrating  his 
tenth  anniversary).  What  is  permanent 
are  the  public  institutions:  community 
groups,  baths,  bars. 

The  centre  of  gay  life  is  outside  the 
home.  However  much  we  may  try  to  re- 
treat into  the  home,  the  bars  have  a  cons- 
tant fascination,  even  while  we  keep  tell- 
ing each  other  how  awful  (indeed,  unfra- 
ternal)  they  can  be.  They  are  fascinating 
because  we  know  that  they  are  where  our 
identity  is,  or  at  any  rate  where  it  must  be 
developed.  You  can  be  a  homosexual  at 
home,  but  you  can't  be  gay  there. 

• 
Beyond  gay  rights  and  sexual  freedom, 
this  is  the  prospect  offered  by  gay  libera- 
tion: a  fraternal  public  life  as  the  focus  of 
our  lives,  and  hence  a  commitment  to 
make  that  public  world  better  in  all  ways. 
This  future  we  can  now  only  glimpse, 
fleetingly  and  very  imperfectly,  in  our 
existing  gay  communities.  But  it  is  a  real 
potential,  firmly  grounded  in  the  very 
way  gay  men  and  lesbians  presently  live. 

Let  us  not  be  tempted  by  the  empty 
dream  of  private  romance  hidden  aw. is 
from  the  world.  Let  us  build  a  liveable 
public  world  of  play  and  work,  where  \se 
can  dance  by  ourselves  yet  not  be  alone. 
Let  us  proudly  affirm  the  fraternal  way. 
Let  us  proclaim  it  as  the  path  to  a  hap 
pier  life  for  our  whole  society. 
lirmn  KtOSSOpiSO  lor  itnlo  translator  and 

advocate  oj  hedonistic  socialism 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  [  1  JULY/AUGUST  1984      35 


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36  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


There  was  a  bounce  in  my  step  — 
and  a  touch  of  trepidation,  too  — 
as  I  climbed  the  stairs  to  Toronto's 
A  Space  (a  nice  place,  as  galleries 
go)  to  check  out  "Eros  West,"  one 
of  a  series  of  exhibitions  mounted  this 
past  March  under  the  banner  "Alter /- 
Eros."  Tension  wasn't  limited  to  the 
tingling  in  my  knees,  and  it  wasn't  just 
anxiety  about  "Art"  in  a  "Gallery" 
either.  This  was  supposed  to  be  art  about 
sexuality  and,  while  the  world  didn't 
equip  me  to  talk  about  sex  any  better 
than  I  can  talk  about  art,  at  least  it  com- 
pelled me  to  think  a  lot  about  sex.  It 
wasn't  so  much  that  I  was  excited  about 
the  festival  as  that  I  wanted  to  be  excited 
by  it. 

This  is  the  second  year  in  a  row  femin- 
ist artists  in  Toronto  joined  forces  to  pro- 
duce a  festival  in  the  spring,  but  it's  the 
first  time  anyone  tried  to  focus  such  an 
event  on  erotica.  This  year's  coalition  . 
brought  together  Women's  Culture 
Building,  Pelican  Players,  Women's 
Media  Alliance,  A  Space  and  Women's 
Perspective.  The  festival  wasn't  as  well- 
publicized  as  it  might  have  been,  but 
there  was  a  lot  of  anticipation  in  the  air  as 
the  project  unfolded. 

Pornography  is  a  hot  topic  these  days, 
and  many  feminist  critics  have  urged  us 
to  try  to  distinguish  "pornography"  from 
"erotica"  and  to  take  control  of  the 
production  of  our  own  sexual  images. 
"Alter/Eros"  promised  to  be  a  great  col- 
lective opportunity  to  do  so. 

• 
I  had  reached  the  gallery.  Was  that  blood- 
dripped  doorway  a  cunt?  Could  that 
comical,  leaning,  tasseled  upright  be  a 
cock?  Oops.  "Two  verticals,"  the  card  on 
the  wall  said.  Two  other  majestic  "verti- 
cals" were  nearby;  by  artist  Betty  Kaser, 
they  were  called  "The  ring  goddess"  and 
"Maidenhead."  They  were  carefully 
draped  folds  of  canvas  in  unliving  colour. 
My  body  wasn't  fooled,  and  I  had  to  sup- 
press an  urge  to  dance  a  little  circle 
around  these  giant  clits  under  a  full 
moon.  But  verticals  don't  reciprocate:  no 
stiffening  (except  what  was  there  to  begin 
with),  no  slime,  no  resonance. 

There  was  an  almost-tit  alternative  to 
lean  against,  snuggle  up  to,  suckle  may- 
be. Joan  Burutski  called  her  huge,  deli- 
cate mobile  of  dancing,  weaving  feathers 
in  a  gauzy  white  dome  "Enchanted  For- 
est." There  it  sat,  a  tempting  refuge,  but 
oh-so-pure  and  just  out  of  reach.  Maybe 
if  I'd  gone  back  when  no  one  else  was 
there....  "Passion's  source"  by  Diana 
Braun-Woodbury  was  another  clit.  Or 
was  it  just  a  seashell's  whorl,  to  match  her 
other  painting,  "By  the  sea?"  That  one, 
as  the  title  implies,  was  a  view  of  a  beach 
—  albeit  a  still,  calm  and  inviting  one. 

There  were  would-be  clits  that  seemed 
to  have  been  formed  from  table  napkins. 
Cute  —  the  sort  of  thing  I'd  be  thrilled  to 
find  on  a  neighbour's  coffee  table.  But 
these  were  arranged  on  a  wall  with  pears 
and  napkin  cones  and  called  "In  the  pro- 
cess of  knowing."  (Am  I  in  the  wrong 
place?  I  don't  want  to  know,  I  want  to  try 
to  feel  without  having  to  think  first.  Is 
that  too  impossible  a  fantasy?) 

Some  of  the  art  in  the  gallery  was  just 
plain  irritating.  Elizabeth  Phillmore's 
"The  exhibitionist  seeks  the  voyeur,"  for 
example,  was  a  keyhole  with  a  mirror  on 
the  other  side.  Some  of  it  was  spooky. 
Was  Ana  Palma  dos  Santos  trying  to 
make  an  appeal  to  the  necrophiles  in  the 
crowd  with  her  red  box  with  three  holes 
cut  into  it  and  herself  lying  inside?  And 
some  of  it,  like  Cindy  Deachmen's  twist- 
ed and  plundered  miniature  garden, 
"Passage  of  time,"  and  Francesca  Viven- 
zer's  "Eros  in  my  studio,"  seemed  to 
share  the  notion  that  Eros  is  a  pretty 
scary  character. 


TER 

eros 


I    1 

\ffl 

•    * 
L~7 

Jf 

JL/is 

f  1  EC 

":-^l 

WA 

■                              V 

|L  "^^ 

B^:     <    V           1 

V^ 

Bc""^*^! 

h^Nc 

v    jm 

w     ^^S^^^V! 

IHRk^R  - 

^m^^mk 

The  feminist  festival 

of  erotica  certainly  wasn't  pornographic 

—  but  was  it  sexy?  Three  assessments 

by  women  who  went  to  take  a  look. 


The  festival  had  a  problem  with 
names.  One  show  was  called  "Eros 
East,"  another  "Eros  West,"  and 
several  parts  of  it  were  called  "Desire," 
including  an  installation  and  supermar- 
ket by  Women's  Perspectives.  A  super- 
market ?  Would  you  believe  a  parody  of 
the  "novelty"  shop:  one  cunt  in  a  wine 
goblet  and  another  in  a  Kleenex  box; 
"Dreamhome,"  a  doll-house  being  rav- 
ished by  King  Kong;  a  cat  made  out  of  a 
tampon;  a  perfect  little  vacuum  clean- 
er/aspiration unit  —  the  UterHoover; 
placemats  and  buttons  with  poetry  on 
them  —  and  a  whole  rack  of  cards  that 
you  could  actually  buy. 

The  Women's  Perspective's  installation 
tried  to  maintain  the  same  commitment 


to  humour.  It  was  dominated  by  the 
"Desire  Freize,"  which  covered  three 
walls  and  was  a  collective  effort  that  tried 
to  hammer  home  the  moral  of  our  "com- 
mon story."  It  combined  all  the  worst 
characteristics  of  the  stereotype  of  "art 
by  committee."  The  "Desire  Bed,"  a 
rusting  frame  blanketed  with  shredded, 
pink  and  glittering  silk  and  satin,  was  a 
study  in  disillusionment  by  Shawna 
Dempsey  and  Barbara  Webb.  Suzanne 
Kelly  contributed  two  works,  "Menstru- 
ating orchids"  and  "He  cupped  her 
breast,"  which  were,  I  think,  pokes  at 
worn-out  cliches. 

The  Womens'  Perspective  collective 
"Menstrual  Hut"  and  "The  Goddess 
Closet"  (Lynn  Hutchinson-Brown) 


represented  another  theme  common  to 
the  parts  of  the  festival  I  saw:  female 
spirituality  as  a  substitute  for  sexuality. 
Who  wouldn't  like  a  cozy  little  blood- 
coloured  womb  to  retreat  to,  with  magic 
potions  and  a  hot-water  bottle,  reading, 
writing  and  knitting  materials,  and  even  a 
ceiling  made  of  tampons?  Maybe  in  a  cor- 
ner of  the  basement?  I  wasn't  so  sure  I'd 
want  to  bring  home  the  shrine,  with  its 
offerings  of  birds'  nests,  bones,  lace  and 
flowers.  But  what  does  any  of  this  have  to 
do  with  sex,  love,  lust  or  desire? 

"Was  it  art?"  a  friend  asked. 

"It  sure  wasn't  pornography,"  I 
assured  her. 

"Then  it  must  have  been  erotica." 

The  festival  left  me  in  a  stew:  was  it  a 
search  for  an  alternative  eros,  or  for  an 
alternative  to  eros?  "Alternatives"  were 
certainly  not  based  on  the  experience  of 
sexual  minorities;  there  was  little  overt 
lesbian  content,  nothing  that  might  quali- 
fy as  "politically  incorrect"  sex.  Actual- 
ly, there  was  little  that  was  overt  at  all. 
Sexuality  was  presented  only  abstractly, 
symbolically  or  indirectly,  and  usually  in 
political  terms.  How  could  a  festival  that 
failed  to  be  explicit  about  sex  work  as 
erotica?  What  would  have  to  change  be- 
fore the  festival  artists  would  feel  safe 
enough  to  be  explicit? 

How  is  it  that  the  imperative  to  separ- 
ate pornography  from  erotica  has  slipped 
by  us  without  much  critical  examination? 
Everyone  has  read  or  heard  at  least  one 
discussion  of  the  different  roots  of  the 
two  words.  Both  are  from  the  Greek; 
'  'pornography' '  means '  'writing  about 
harlots"  while  "erotica"  is  "that  which 
concerns  itself  with  sexual  love." 

The  rise  of  modern  feminism  roughly 
paralleled  the  increasing  availability  and 
sophistication  of  birth  control,  allowing 
for  the  potential  disentangling  of  sex 
from  reproduction.  And  it  didn't  take 
feminist  thinkers  long  to  begin  question- 
ing our  assumptions  about  the  entangle- 
ment of  sex  and  love.  The  movement  re- 
jected pornography's  mandate  that  men 
be  active,  selfish  and  independent;  it 
questioned  romanticism's  demand  that 
women  be  passive,  selfless  and  depen- 
dent. If  porn  is  about  the  domination  of 
women  through  sex,  then  romantic  love 
and  its  depictions  are  about  women's  in- 
ternalized oppression,  which  so  effective- 
ly sustains  that  domination.  How  can  the 
latter  be  posed  as  an  alternative  to  the 
former?  (After  all,  like  sex,  oppression  is 
often  that  much  "better"  when  you  do  it 
to  yourself.)  Is  this  the  obstacle  to  our 
search  for  erotica? 

Nowadays,  judges  are  convicting  the 
makers  and  distributors  of  pornography 
on  the  grounds  that  porn  degrades  worn- 


A  poor  excuse 

Sonja  Mills  discovers 

what 's  left  of  eroticism  when 

the  body  isn  *t  there 


According  to  an  article  by  Amanda  Hale 
about  the  "Alter/Eros"  Festival  in  the 
April  issue  of  Broadside,  the  feminist 
review  published  in  Toronto,  "the  current 
activity  around  the  concept  of  female  eros 
has  grown  out  of  the  concern  of  a  strong 
feminist  movement  with  the  damage  done 
to  women  and  children  by  pornography. 
Pornography  is  the  extreme  perversion  of 
the  pure  spirit  of  the  erotic,  hence  the 
hand-in-hand  campaign  to  fight  pornog- 
raphy and  reclaim  eros." 


Noble  and  worthwhile. 

"It  is  a  quest,  via  painting,  sculpture, 
theatre,  poetry,  music,  and  photography, 
to  reclaim  and  assert  our  sexuality." 

Interesting.  And  indeed,  a  noble  and 
worthwhile  quest. 

I  went  to  see  all  the  festival  art  shows, 
and  was  disappointed.  "Desire,"  the  first 
show,  was  frightening.  There  were  paint- 
ings of  naked  women  with  distorted  faces 
(or  no  faces  as  all),  hard  and  pointy  (or 
no)  tits,  and  ominous  red  vaginas  swal- 
lowing everything  in  their  paths.  I  didn't 
see  desire,  I  saw  rage.  And  it  didn't  turn 
me  on. 

The  second  show,  "Eros  East,"  wasn't 
quite  as  scary.  But  I  still  didn't  see  an> 
thing  I  considered  "eros,"  and  it  still 
didn't  gel  me  wet.  Neither  did  (he  third 
show,  "Eros  West,"  though  it  was  by  lai 
the  most  interesting.  I  saw  a  box  with  a 
person  inside  and  baby  shoes  encircling  ■ 
statue  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 


The  Broadside  article  admits  the  lack  of 
"specific  images  dealing  with  female  sex- 
ual desire,"  but  it  has  an  explanation: 
"The  female  body  as  an  image,  regardless 
of  its  context ,  has  been  so  denigrated  and 
objectified  that  the  real  person  inhabiting 
the  body  is  no  longer  there.  In  the  absence 
of  the  person  it  is  impossible  to  use  the 
body  in  order  to  communicate  something 
from  the  heart,  i.e.  something  erotic.'' 

So,  eros  is  within  the  heart  of  a  person, 
and  this  person  can't  be  shown  as  having 
a  body  because  the  image  of  the  female 
body  will  be  misconstrued  as  pornogra- 
phy. So  remove  the  body  and  leave  the 
person,  and  you  arc  left  with  something 
erotic.  Is  that  right?  Am  1  close? 

I  agree  thai  "heart,  mind  and  spirit" 
are  important  elements  of  eros,  and  that 
"sensation  without  feeling"  is  a  terrible 
thing.  So  what  has  "Aha  Bros"  left  us 
with?  Baby  shoes  and  the  Virgin 
Man   ... 


- 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  TJ  JULY  /AUGUST  1984  L  37 


en.  Why  do  the  supreme  patriarchs  think 
porn  is  degrading?  Because  it  isn't  loving 
and  romantic.  And  not  many  voices  of 
protest  —  or  even  clarification  —  are  be- 
ing raised  by  feminists.  The  woman  de- 
picted in  porn  is  condemned  for  betraying 
her  sex  by  acting  out  the  role  of  "whore." 
But  the  whore  is  only  one  side  of  a  two- 
edged  stereotype  of  women.  The  other 
side  is  the  "madonna,"  the  virtuous  cate- 
gory for  the  majority  of  women  who  are 
kept  in  this,  their  place,  by  the  threat  of 
otherwise  being  labeled  "whore."  How  is 
it  that  the  woman  who  crusades  against 
pornography  is  forgiven  for  the  fact 
(when  anyone  actually  notices  it)  that  she 
lends  credence  to  the  more  pristine  role  in 
this  confining,  either /or  script?  How  is  it 
we're  told  that  one  role  is  male-authored 
while  the  other  is  not? 

Sadly,  the  Alter /Eros  Festival  revealed 
that  much  feminist  determination  to  ex- 
plore and  reclaim  the  territory  of  sex  has 
been  dissipated.  Neither  feminism  nor 
gay  liberation  has  ever  really  tried  to 
understand  and  appreciate  the  rebellious- 
ness of  the  self-declared  pervert.  The  sex- 
hungry  woman  is  such  a  pervert;  what- 
ever her  orientation,  she  leaves  her  pre- 
scribed role  far  behind.  She  has  long  been 
neglected  in  the  rush  to  define  and  rede- 
fine female  sexual  potential.  What  does  it 
mean  when  she  decides  to  toy  with  the 
contradictions  in  her  life  by  expressing 
herself  as  a  slut,  a  dominatrix,  someone 
who  does  it  for  money  or  for  fun  rather 
than  to  "nurture"  or  "express  commit- 
ment"? Is  the  slut  "colonized"?  Aren't 
we  all?  And  if  getting  beyond  that  coloni- 
zation means  taking  risks,  then  who  has 
the  better  record  in  the  risk-taking  de- 
partment —  the  madonna  or  the  whore? 

The  festival  included  nothing  so  base  as 
a  direct  appeal  to  the  body  —  that  would 
have  been  dangerous.  The  closest  it  came 
to  taking  risks  was  to  flirt  with  the  danger 
of  ignoring  them  —  like  someone  tread- 


ing the  edge  of  a  precipice  with  her  eyes 
clamped  shut.  That's  a  good  way  to  slip 
into  risks  accidentally  —  risks  like  sacri- 
ficing the  bad  girl  whores  so  we  can  ap- 
peal to  all  the  good  girl  madonnas  out 
there,  trying  to  convince  them  that  we 
frightening  "women's  libbers"  have  been 
good  girls  all  along;  risks  like  reinforcing 
the  modesty  and  shame  that  have  so  long 
deprived  women  of  knowledge  of  —  and 
power  over  —  our  own  bodies;  risks  like 
elevating  the  nurturing,  spiritual  earth- 
mother /goddess  to  the  standard  against 
which  all  female  sexuality  and  all  feminist 
erotic  art  must  be  judged. 

Better  to  have  one's  eyes  open.  As 
Ellen  Willis  observed  at  the  end  of  Diary 
of  a  Conference  on  Sexuality,  "I  believe 
that  as  the  sexuality  debate  goes,  so  goes 
feminism.  The  tendency  of  some  femin- 
ists to  regard  women  purely  as  sexual  vic- 
tims rather  than  sexual  subjects,  and  to 
define  the  movement's  goals  as  control- 
ling male  sexuality  rather  than  demanding 
women's  freedom  to  lead  active  sexual 
lives  reinforces  women's  oppression  and 
plays  into  the  hands  of  the  new  right.  It  is 
a  deadened  politics  of  despair.  Feminism 
is  a  vision  of  active  freedom,  of  fulfilled 
desires,  or  it  is  nothing." 

Maybe  we  haven't  yet  had  time  to  cre- 
ate safe  enough  spaces  in  which  to  put 
our  own  bodies  and  sexual  experiences  on 
display,  to  give  voice  to  the  ways  in  which 
we  see  our  bodies  or  the  ways  in  which 
they  are  aroused.  But  we  can't  wait  for 
that  unspecified  time  —  we  can't  build 
without  trying  to  live  today.  We  have  to 
be  brave  enough  to  work  with  our  own 
imperfect  experiences  and  perceptions, 
trying  to  learn  where  they  are  deficient. 
We  must  refuse  to  be  stopped  by  those 
factors  not  yet  in  our  control. 

The  risks  worth  taking  intentionally, 
rather  than  by  accident,  are  the  ones  that 
go  with  an  unapologetic  grab  for 
freedom.  Chris  BearchellD 


From  passion 
to  theory 


38  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY  /AUGUST  1984 


A  Festival  diary 
by  Jane  Smith 


March  23:  "Desire."  Lucky  me.  I  am 
contracted  to  light  two  performances 
pieces  to  be  done  at  the  "Alter/ Eros 
Desire  Environment."  I've  been  anx- 
ious to  work  on  the  festival  since 
January,  when  it  was  outlined  to  me  as 
a  dive  into  the  passions  of  women's 
sexuality  —  DESIRE!  We'll  see.... 
March  25: 1  read  one  of  the  scripts  to- 
day, "A  Play  on  Colours."  Its  idea  of 
erotic  exploration  appeared  to  be 
humanizing  the  whore,  modernizing 
the  housewife  and  devirginizing  a  sexu- 
ally uptight  journalist  by  having  her 
dance  in  a  spectrum  of  light.  The  play 
works  well  as  a  transitional  element  to 
the  exploration  of  the  erotic.  What  it 
needs  is  a  good  sister  piece  to  follow; 
one  that  takes  you  beyond  the  dance 
and  inside  this  woman's  erotic  self. 
April  4:  Has  the  festival  shunned 
(shamed?)  eroticism  from  its  face? 
What  is  exhibited  is  less  an  expose'  of 
desire  and  desire  stimuli  and  more  a 
collage  of  female  parts  (sans  erotique), 
functions,  history  and  mythology.  It's 
all  relevant  —  no,  related  —  to  our 
gender,  but  not  our  sexuality,  sexual 
nature  and  eroticism.  There's  even  a 
lot  of  humour:  A  UterHoover  for 
sucking  out  menstrual  discharges 
(though  I'd  bet  you'd  spend  five  days 
recovering  from  such  a  trauma);  a 
hooked  rug  of  a  breast  concealed  by  a 
cup  —  complete  with  literary  excerpts 


on  cupping  breasts  —  and  a  tamponed 
orchid,  also  hooked.  I  began  to  think 
that  the  humour  was  there  to  prevent  a 
sensual  contemplation  of  the  erotic  na- 
ture of  menstrual  blood,  breasts  and 
cunts.  The  most  desire  I  experience  was 
late  tonight  on  the  "Desire  Bed,"  but  it 
didn't  have  anything  to  do  with  the  ex- 
hibition —  or  the  bed,  for  that  matter. 
April  11:  The  long  awaited  pajama 
party  was  tonight  at  the  Environment. 
I  walked  in  at  about  eleven  o'clock  to 
see  about  eight  women  sitting  on  pil- 
lows in  PJs  drinking  beer  and  watching 
Zelig.  It  looks  like  they  had  fun,  but  it 
just  wasn't  desire. 

April  12:  Phew,  the  anxiety's  past  —  I 
really  hate  openings,  especially  for 
shows  that  I've  worked  on.  The  two 
pieces  were  well-performed  and  effec- 
tive as  feminist  pieces.  In  the  jucier 
show,  Breasts,  Shawna  Dempsey  de- 
veloped a  strong  collage  of  images  of 
breasts,  societal  reactions  to  them  (in 
blunt  confrontation)  and  women's 
relationships  with  them.  It  blended 
humour  with  sensuality  and  was  the 
closest  glimpse  of  desire  or  erotica  that 
I've  gotten  at  the  festival.  There  was 
no  shame,  no  excuses,  and  her  open- 
ness was  accentuated  by  encouraging 
discussion  immediately  after  the  show. 
April  15:  Post  mortem.  After  the  fact, 
I'm  still  bet  on  the  premise  that 
"Alter/Eros"  should  be  part  of  a 
multi-phase  excavation  of  women's 
erotica.  The  presentations  I've  seen 
were  interesting  and  innovative,  but 
not  erotic  or  orgasmic.  I'm  sure 
"Alter /Eros"  —  and  reactions  to  it  — 
will  give  its  mother  feminist  arts  com- 
munity some  thought  food.  I  just  hope 
we'll  use  this  freedom  of  expression  to 
get  beyond  theory  and  history,  valid  as 
they  are.  D 


Ever  since  I  got  a  review  copy  of 
the  Spartacus  travel  guide, 
friends  who  are  planning  to  go 
away  this  summer  have  been  ask- 
ing if  they  can  come  over  "just  to 
have  a  look."  During  the  same  period  of 
time  I  have  also  become  aware  that  the 
gay  publications  I'm  associated  with 
find  the  guide  useful  because  it  lists  com- 
munity organizations  and  describes  laws 
and  attitudes  relating  to  homosexuality 
in  virtually  every  country  in  the  world. 
But  for  the  last  few  years  the  Spartacus 
guide  has  been  getting  bad  press  in  the 
international  gay  movement.  Because 
the  compilers  rely  on  people  sending  in- 
formation in,  the  guide  is  occasionally 
unreliable  or  out  of  date.  But  this  isn't 
the  main  problem.  In  fact,  the  guide  em- 
bodies a  whole  series  of  contradictions 
that  can  be  very  instructive  to  explore. 

Huts  in  palm  groves  behind  the  beach 
can  be  hired  for  the  night  for  a  few  ru- 
pees at  Kovalum,  India.  But  homosexu- 
ality is  illegal  in  India  and,  according  to 
the  predominant  Hindu  religion,  is  a 
perverse  vice  introduced  by  foreigners. 
India  is  a  crowded  country  and  Spar- 
tacus advises  visitors  to  be  firm  with  the 
multitude  of  beggars.  So,  if  my  friends 
take  a  look  at  the  world  according  to 
Spartacus,  they  find  good-looking 
young  men  selling  lobster  lunches  on  the 
beach  at  Kovalum;  but  also  some  of  the 
800  million  people  in  the  world  who  live 
in  absolute  poverty.  What  gives  us  the 
right  just  to  glance  at  poverty  and  then 
glance  away  again? 

Still  and  all,  even  the  most  concerned 
person  enjoys  thumbing  through  the 
Spartacus  guide.  It's  pointless  to  pre  tend 
that  this  is  not  so.  There  is  a  kind  of 
pleasure  in  having  the  world  in  a  good 
book.  In  a  long  tradition  of  homosexual 
writing,  other  places  are  often  the  only 
imaginable  free  spaces.  It  starts  with 
Corydon  waiting  "among  the  thick 
beeches  with  their  shady  summits"  for 
Alexis  to  come  shoot  deer  with  him.  Un- 
fortunately for  Corydon,  if  you  remem- 
ber the  story,  Alexis  decided  to  stay 
home  that  year.  There  is  an  enjoyable 
kind  of  power  in  being  able  to  choose  to 
travel  or  to  leave  a  country.  People  who 
live  in  poverty  do  not  very  often  have  the 
power  to  leave. 

There  is  also  an  anxiety  about  the 
world  that  makes  us  want  to  read  and 
know  more.  Our  lives  are  connected 
with  others  through  complex  and  power- 
ful economic  and  political  institutions. 
The  world  seems  to  press  in  on  us:  on  the 
surface,  we  are  controlled  by  news  head- 
lines, protest  marches,  increased  prices 
for  raw  materials.  Behind  this  it's  not 
difficult  to  see  international  power 
struggles,  economic  interests  and  net- 
works of  influence  that  seem  far  beyond 
the  influence  of  any  one  person.  In  the 
worst  possible  scenario,  every  life  on  this 
planet  could  be  disasterously  affected  in 
a  matter  of  minutes.  We  read  with  a  kind 
of  absorbed  and  concentrated  interest: 
India  is  one  of  the  states  in  the  world 
that  has  manufactured  and  tested  a  nu- 
clear weapon. 

Actually,  there  is  nothing  about  nucle- 
ar weapons  in  the  Spartacus  guide.  I 
found  that  out  from  another  handbook: 
the  radical  political  World  View  1984.  It 
gives  a  perspective  that  makes  an  inter- 
esting comparison  with  the  guide.  I've 
also  looked  at  the  widely  used  Fodor's 
series  of  travel  guides;  they,  like  the 
Spartacus  guide,  don't  make  much 
direct  reference  to  political  issues. 
World  View  1984  states  that  female 

Spartacus  International  Gay  Guide  (or  Men. 
1984.  Edited  by  John  D  Stamford.  Spartacus 
Books,  (Box  3496,  1001  AG  Amsterdam.  The 
Netherlands).  $20  including  postage. 


GRID 

^ajjjj  ACCORDING  TO 

OPARTACUS 


THE 


prostitution  has  become  a  fundamental 
element  of  tourism  in  Asia.  For  70  to  80 
percent  of  male  tourists,  that's  the  sole 
reason  they  choose  a  holiday  there.  (I 
wonder  how  they  got  that  statistic.) 
Apart  from  this,  US  military  bases  in 
Asia  bring  with  them  the  rest-and-recre- 
ation  centres  for  GIs  on  leave.  The  two 
largest  US  overseas  air  and  naval  bases 
are  in  the  Philippines. 

The  Philippines  has  a  very  poor  rec- 
ord in  the  area  of  basic  human  rights. 
The  country  is  dominated  by  President 
Marcos,  who  controls  the  government 
by  placing  relatives  and  cronies  in  key 
economic,  military  and  political  posi- 
tions. Even  though  martial  law  was  lift- 
ed in  1981,  Marcos  still  retains  enormous 
personal  power.  But  according  to 
Fodor's  Southeast  Asia  1984,  "Nowhere 
is  democratic  politics  played  with  such 
fire  and  passion,"  and  the  guidebook 
recommends  a  visit  to  the  grounds  of  the 
presidential  palace  in  Manila.  Fodor's 
also  recommends  a  visit  to  the  presi- 
dent's summer  home  at  Bagio.  The  in- 
ternational rip-off  of  the  Philippines' 
sugar,  agricultural  products  and  miner- 
als "helps  to  finance  industrialization." 
Nor  is  Fodor's  above  a  little  titillation. 
Most  visitors  will  remark,  we  are  told, 
"I  didn't  know  there  were  so  many  pret- 
ty girls!"  Male  tribesmen  in  the  north 
"wear  tasseled  G-strings  and  little  else." 
But  the  worst  thing  in  Fodor's  is  the  triv- 
ialization  of  political  power.  The  United 
States  controlled  the  islands  from  1898 
to  1946,  and  still  maintains  large  military 
bases  at  Subic  Bay  and  Clark.  You  have 
to  look  in  World  View  1984  to  find  that 
out,  though.  Fodor  Aversion  is  that, 
"Almost  from  the  beginning,  the  United 
States  promised  the  Philippines  indepen- 
dence." Indeed. 

In  Spartacus,  the  point  of  a  holiday  to 
the  Philippines  is  at  least  not  a  cheap 
binge  of  consumerism  or  awe  at  such 
blatant  symbols  of  power  as  the  presi- 
dential palace.  Spartacus  gives  a  guide  to 
local  gay  meeting  places.  It  also  desci  ibes 


local  cultural  traditions  of  bisexuality, 
often  mainly  for  young  men.  The  Spar- 
tacus guide  always  has  to  deal  with  state 
power,  at  least  with  regard  to  laws  about 
homosexuality  in  different  countries. 
The  1984  description  of  the  Philippines 
does  also  mention  the  serious  civil  unrest 
which  has  increased  since  the  assassina- 
tion last  August  of  former  Senator 
Benigno  Aquino. 

Sexual  tourism  exists  because  of  cultur- 
al differences  which  have  survived  into 
the  20th  century  in  "underdeveloped" 
countries.  And  prices  are  lower  in  these 
countries  because  of  an  unequal  world 
economy  that  if  put  right  would  mean  a 
lower  standard  of  living  for  virtually 
every  Spartacus  reader.  Most  of  us  bene- 
fit from  living  in  economies  that  rip  off 
the  "underdeveloped"  world.  The  Phil- 
ippines is  a  poor  country  by  our  stan- 
dards, and  tourist  dollars  are  badly 
needed.  Fodor's  suggests  that  in  the 
poorer  northern  regions  gifts  of  matches 
and  salt  will  be  most  acceptable. 

John  Stamford,  the  compiler  of  the 
Spartacus  guide,  has  written  on  several 
occasions  about  some  of  the  problems  of 
gay  sexual  tourism.  Ten  years  ago,  the 
cultural  tradition  of  tolerance  for  bisex- 


Spartacus's  Stamford:  the  guide  isn't  perfect, 
but  neither  is  the  world  it  has  to  deal  with 


uality  among  young  men  and  the  pover- 
ty of  the  Philippines  made  it  a  gay 
"paradise."  But  foolish  gay  tourists,  a 
deteriorating  economy  and  a  moral 
crackdown  on  sex  with  young  men  have 
meant  that  the  paradise  days  are  over. 
The  influx  of  tourists  has  given  rise  to 
various  extortion  rackets  that  include 
young  men,  their  families,  corrupt  pol- 
ice and  newspapers.  Spartacus  all  but 
advises  people  not  to  visit  the  country 
anymore  because  of  the  very  real  possi- 
bility of  blackmail  and  expulsion  for 
"sexual  perversion." 

The  issues  of  unequal  power  and 
resources  here  are  very  difficult  ones. 
Stamford  tries  to  deal  with  the  inherent 
contradictions  as  matters  for  personal 
responsibility  on  the  part  of  his  readers. 
He  asks  tourists  to  be  discreet,  not  to 
make  promises  to  young  men  that  can't 
be  kept,  to  respect  local  cultures  and  not 
to  pay  young  men  amounts  of  money 
that  their  parents  could  only  earn  by 
three  months  of  hard  work.  The  advice 
is  probably  fairly  sensible,  although  it 
doesn't  attempt  to  tackle  the  broader 
issues  of  global  politics. 

Advice  of  this  sort  has  been  sharply 
criticized  by  the  International  Gay 
Association,  among  others.  They  say 
that  all  Spartacus  is  saying  is  not  to  pay 
the  boys  too  much  or  prices  will  rise  for 
the  next  tourist.  The  guide's  description 
of  available  Third  World  young  men  and 
its  occasional  warnings  about  theft  have 
been  accused  by  the  IGA  of  racism.  (It's 
useful  here  to  remember  here  that  virtu- 
ally every  tourist  guide  warns  visitors  to 
safeguard  their  valuables  against  theft, 
and  this  is  also  sensible  advice  for  any- 
one visiting  a  gay  bath  in  any  metropol- 
itan city.)  The  debate  has  centred  on  the 
entry  for  Colombia  in  Spartacus  '83,  a 
report  written  by  someone  who  had  lived 
there  for  four  years.  "Select  a  sexy 
teenager  who  is  himself  cruising,"  it  ad- 
vised. "Never  trust  a  Colombian  teen- 
ager you  meet  on  the  street;  you  can  go 
with  him  to  a  bar  or  to  a  restaurant,  but 
avoid  taking  him  to  your  hotel."  The 
IGA  asked  Stamford  to  edit  out  these 
kinds  of  remarks,  but  the  entry  for  Col- 
ombia in  Spartacus  '84  has  not  been 
changed. 

The  entry  should  have  been  changed, 
just  as  other  thoughtless  descriptions  of 
the  gay  scene  in  countries  like  South 
Africa  need  to  be  changed.  (Laws  which 
discriminate  against  the  black  majority 
of  the  population,  segregated  railways, 
buses  and  other  services  are  dealt  with 
too  lightly.)  And  as  other  reviewers  have 
pointed  out  for  their  own  countries, 
some  bars  have  closed  down  and  those 
entries  need  to  be  changed,  too. 

Travel,  for  whatever  reason,  can  make 
people  very  aware  of  issues  in  the  world 
today.  I  know  someone  who  thought 
world  politics  was  a  subject  to  be  avoid- 
ed until  he  visited  Colombia  for  a  holi- 
day. The  value  of  such  experiences 
makes  it  desirable  to  avoid  a  rather  silly 
confrontation  between  the  "political" 
and  "commercial"  wings  of  the  gay 
movement.  People  working  for  social 
change  have  to  live  their  lives  now  and 
not  in  some  perfected  world  to  come.  It 
makes  no  sense  to  tell  gay  men  not  to 
visit  Third  World  countries. 

In  any  event,  my  friends  are  still 
thumbing  through  the  Spartacus  guide 
There  will  always  be  problems  with  the 
guide  because  it  exists  within  world  con- 
tradictions for  which  John  Stamford 
alone  can't  beheld  responsible.  It  prob- 
ably has  Fewer  objectionable  aspects 
than  the  Fodoi  's  series,  We  ask  John 
Stamford  that  Spartacus  be  better  next 
year,  and  the  yeai  after  that,  and  the 
year  attei  that.  too. 

\l:in  O'Connor 


ir*  POLITIC  C I  JULY/AUGUST  1984       39 


AESTHETERA 


Fiction 

Extramuros  by  Jesus  Fernandez  Santos  is 
receiving  substantial  praise.  A  nun  in  15th-cen- 
tury Inquisitorial  Spain  persuades  her  lover, 
another  nun,  to  wound  the  former's  hands  in 
imitation  of  Christ's  stigmata,  so  she  may  be- 
come a  saint  and  bring  wealth  and  fame  to 
their  poor  convent.  The  plan  fails  and  both  are 
disgraced,  and  follow  each  other  into  death. 
(Columbia  University  Press,  $19.95  US.) 

Based  on  a  legend  in  Brittany,  Jeannine 
Allard's  Legende:  The  Story  of  Philippa  and 
Aurelie  is  about  two  women  who  successfully 
fool  an  entire  town  into  believing  they  are  man 
and  wife.  The  mystery  is  revealed  years  later, 
after  a  statue  is  erected  in  honour  of  the  "hus- 
band" lost  at  sea.  (Alyson  Publications,  Box 
2783,  Boston,  MS 02208;  $5.95  US.)  The 
Reach,  And  Other  Stories,  edited  by  Lilian 
Mohin  and  Sheila  Shulman  is  an  anthology  of 
lesbian  feminist  fiction.  (Onlywomen  Press,  38 
Mt  Pleasant,  London  WC1X  OAP.) 

In  Old  Dyke  Tales,  Lee  Lynch  strings 
together  stories  told  by  her  characters  in  the 
Cafe  Fennes,  including  80-year-old  August 
Brennan.  In  The  Burnton  Widows,  Vicki  P 
McConnell  follows  journalist  /detective  Nyla 
Wade  (first  encountered  in  Mrs  Porter's  Let- 
ter) to  a  castle  on  the  Oregon  coast  which  has 
apparently  harboured  several  generations  of 
lesbians.  (Both  $7.95  US  from  Naiad  Press, 
Box  10543,  Tallahassee,  FL  32302.) 

Why  We  Never  Danced  the  Charleston,  a 
first  novel  by  Harlan  Greene  about  three  men 
in  the  gay  underworld  of  1923  Charleston, 
comes  with  kudos  from  one  voracious  reader 
of  gay  fiction  around  the  office,  and  from 
Publisher's  Weekly:  "Written  in  a  lyrical, 
evocative  prose,  the  story  is  often  moving." 
(St  Martin's  Press,  $12.95  US.) 

Tom  Wakefield  tells  the  story  of  Cyril  and 
Len,  two  men  working  for  Britain's  National 
Service  in  the  50s,  in  Mates  (Gay  Men's  Press, 
c/o  Alyson  Publications,  see  above;  $6.50  US). 
Also  from  Gay  Men's  Press  is  Flame:  A  Life 
on  the  Game,  an  autobiography  by  a  London 
hustler  who  quit  school  at  fourteen  to  make  a 
living.  The  Boys  on  the  Rock,  by  John  Fox,  is 
a  first  novel  being  trumpeted  as  the  gay 
Catcher  in  the  Rye.  A  Catholic  teenager  in  the 
late  60s,  amid  many  other  problems,  is  work- 
ing on  the  McCarthy  presidential  campaign. 
(St  Martin's  Press,  $11.95). 

The  adventures  of  Clarisse  Lovelace  and 
Daniel  Valentine  ( Vermilion  and  Cobalt)  conti- 
nue in  Nathan  Aldyne's  Slate  (Random 
House,  $16.95).  Just  as  Valentine  is  opening  a 
new  gay  bar  in  Boston's  South  End,  the  corpse 
of  Sweeney  Drysdale  II,  gossip  columnist 
extraordinaire,  turns  up  in  Clarisse's  bed. 
"The  characters  here  are  less  interesting  than 
in  the  earlier  books,"  says  Publisher's  Weekly, 
"and  the  dialogue  not  as  breezy  and  clever." 
John  Preston,  author  of  Franny  and  /  Once 
Had  A  Master  launches  "The  Missions  of  Alex 
Kane"  with  Sweet  Dreams  (Alyson,  see  above; 
$4.95  US).  Kane,  an  ex-Marine  whose  lover  is 
killed  in  Vietnam  because  he  is  gay,  returns  to 
Boston  determined  "to  protect  the  sweet 
dreams  of  gay  America,"  receiving  orders 


from  his  late  lover's  father.  PW:  "This  won't 
really  reach  beyond  the  specialized  readership 
it's  aimed  at." 

Edward  O  Phillips  follows  up  his  popular 
Sunday 's  Child  with  another  novel  on  the 
amusing  misfortunes  of  a  lonely  gentleman 
among  Montreal's  English  upper  classes,  in 
Where  There's  a  Will  (McClelland  &  Stewart, 
$18.95).  With  Foreign  Bodies,  the  popular 
critic  and  essayist  Barbara  Grizzuti  Harrison 
attempts  a  novel,  about  a  successful  divorced 
journalist  who  finds  herself  obsessed  with 
Devi  —  a  very  beautiful  Indian  artist  and  gay 
man.  (Doubleday,  $16.95). 

Britain's  Brilliance  Books  continues  its  fine 
line-up  with  Thomas  Lyster:  A  Cambridge 
Novel  by  David  Wurtzel  ($6.95  US). 
After  21  years  of  hamburgers,  soda  pop  and 
no  sex,  Neil  moves  from  the  States  to  Eng- 
land, where  his  new  college  roommate  is  the 
promiscuous,  bisexual  Thomas  Lyster.  Also 
from  Brilliance:  The  Wounded  by  Tom  Clark- 
son  ($6.95  US),  written  in  1953  and  unavail- 
able since,  the  story  of  Chris,  a  gay  drag  per- 
former, and  the  woman  he  loves  (praised  by 
Edith  Sitwell  as  "really  magnificent  —  I  can- 
not praise  it  sufficiently");  and  Raptures  of 
the  Deep  by  Peter  Hazeldine  (£2.95),  a  first 
novel,  about  growing  up  gay  in  Manchester. 
(Brilliance  Books,  14  Clerkenwell  Green, 
London  EC1,  England). 


From  National  Lampoon  Presents:  Cartoons  Even  WE  Wouldn't  Dare  Print,  yours  for  $2.95. 


models  has  produced  Moll  Cutpurse:  Her 
True  History  by  Ellen  Galford.  Loosely  based 
on  the  life  of  the  apparently  lesbian  Moll 
Frith,  who  spent  her  rebellious  life 
(1584-1659)  as  a  pickpocket  and  fortune- 
teller among  the  rogues  and  beggers  of  Lon- 
don's Fleet  Street.  (Available  from 
Stramullion  (a  feminist  publishing  collective), 
43  Candlemaker  Row,  Edinburgh  EH1  2QB, 
Scotland,  for  £4.50,  including  postage.) 


Crazy  like  a  fox 

Why  would  Plume  Books  send  us  a  copy  of 
Boy  Crazy:  An  Intimate  Look  at  Today's  Young 
Stars,  who  can  "bring  out  the  animal  instinct 
in  a  woman  and  leave  her  feeling  as  breath- 
less as  her  adolescent  sister"  ?  These  are  the 
same  people  who  blessed  the  world  with  Not 
Just  a  Pretty  Face:  An  Intimate  Look  at 
America's  Top  Male  Models,  by  the  way. 
Could  it  be  they're  hoping  this  will  be  a  treat 
for  gay  readers  (and  lookers)  as  well?  After 
all,  one  of  these  gorgeous  fellows  says  his 
favourite  author  is  Somerset  Maugham. . . . 
Hey,  they  even  included  Boy  George! 

But  then  again,  maybe  it  was  just  a  mix-up 
in  the  mail. . . . 


Non-fi 


The  current  interest  in  the  life  and  work  of 
Proust  (a  film  is  on  the  way  from  Europe)  is 
accommodated  with  the  first  volume  of  his 
correspondence,  Marcel  Proust,  Selected  Let- 
ters: 1880-1903  (The  Anchor  Library, 
Doubleday;  $9.95  US).  Also  of  interest  is  The 
Aesthetic  of  Sexuality  in  the  Life,  Times  and 
Art  of  Marcel  Proust  by  J  E  Rivers  (Cam- 
bridge University  Press,  $15.65).  C  A  Tripp, 
author  of  The  Homosexual  Matrix,  says  of 
the  latter:  "Overwhelming!  I  know  of  no 
other  modern  book  on  sex  that  so  thoroughly 
explores  the  varying  20th-century  thought 
toward  it." 
The  search  through  history  books  for  role 


And  now,  the  George-cott 


We  picked  this 
We're  not  sure 


- —   "7 — —  "  »9 —      — — 

up  on  the  street  a  few  days  ago  —  a  gift  from  Toronto  looney  Stew  Newton 
what  we're  going  to  do  with  all  this  shredded  wheat  now. . . . 

POSITIVE  PARENTS  OF  CANADA 

Boy  George  sings  for  his  supper 
of  Nabisco  Shredded  Wheat 


Warning. . •  HOMO- 
SEXUALITY is  a 
.earned  behavior. 
IS  Nabisco  k    Boy 
'George  providing 
more  than  food  for 
.-.nought:   «*•'* 
let  Nabisco  i  Boy 
George  tux*  your 
-io»e  into  *  homo- 
sexual classroom. 
JOIN  THE  BOYCOTT 
x  2326   Postal  Stat 

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r^..on  for  boycotting  "^f  °;  .^^'na^d  'Boy  George'  promot 
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a   Jure   Bride. 


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Phone  416«W««V> 


boycott 


boycott 


boycott 


In  a  similar  vein,  Sybil  Oldfield  relates  the 
life-long  friendship  of  F  M  Mayor,  author  of 
several  successful  novels  about  the  emotional 
lives  of  women,  and  suffragist  and  pacifist 
Mary  Sheepshanks,  in  Spinsters  of  this  Parish 
(Virago  Press,  Academic  Press  of  Canada; 
$15.95).  Mayor  and  Sheepshanks  first  met  at 
Cambridge  in  the  1890s.  Samuel  M  Steward 
has  reissued  his  Dear  Sammy:  Letters  From 
Gertrude  Stein  and  Alice  B  Toklas  (St 
Martin's  Press,  $7.95  US),  with  a  new  memoir 
on  his  encounters  with  the  pair. 

Poet  Rudy  Kikel  has  put  together  an  auto- 
biography of  sorts  with  Lasting  Relations 
(Sea  Horse  Press,  307  W  1 1th  St,  New  York, 
NY  10014;  $5.95  US),  including  poems  and 
essays  on  family,  friends,  tricks  and  enemies. 
"Stylish,  elegant  and  clever,"  says  Publishers 
Weekly,  "in  the  tradition  of  Oscar  Wilde." 
Also  recommended  by  PW  is  The  Idiot 
Princess  of  the  Last  Dynasty  by  Peter  Klap- 
pert  (Knopf,  $15.95).  The  setting:  a  Parisian 
cafe.  The  speaker:  a  gay  Irish-American  with 
a  ribald  wit,  who  recreates  the  tremendous  in- 
tellectual and  artistic  activity  in  Paris  follow- 
ing the  first  World  War. 

Nice  Jewish  Girls:  A  Lesbian  Anthololgy, 
the  provocatively  varied  collection  edited  by 
Evelyn  Torton  Beck,  has  been  republished  by 
The  Crossing  Press's  Feminist  Series  (Box 
640,  Trumansburg,  NY  14886;  $8.95  US). 
Mary  Daly's  latest  work  is  a  "modern  femi- 
nist mythology"  (complete  with  Witches, 
Nags,  Fates,  Dykes  and  Augurs)  called  Pure 
Lust:  Elemental  Feminist  Philosophy 
(Beacon,  $25.95).  Unlike  the  aggressive  and 
object-centred  lust  identified  with  men,  "pure 
lust"  connects  one  with  the  rhythms  of 
nature  and  ties  instinct  and  intuition  to 
reason.  PW:  "The  author's  profuse  jargon 
has  become  more  ingrown  with  each  new 
book....  But  her  message  is  powerful." 

Bisexual  and  Homosexual  Identities: 
Critical  Theoretical  Issues,  edited  by  John  P 
De  Cecco  and  Michael  G  Shively  is  Issue  8  of 
Research  on  Homosexuality,  available  for 


$22.95  US  from  The  Haworth  Press,  28  East 
22nd  St,  New  York,  NY  10010.  Also  in  the 
series  is  Human  Sexuality  in  Medical  Social 
Work,  edited  by  Larry  Lister  and  Avid  A 
Shore,  available  for  $19.95  US. 

The  Truth  About  AIDS:  Evolution  of  an 
Epidemic  by  Ann  Giudici  Fettner  and 
William  A  Check  (Holt,  $15.95),  to  be  re- 
leased at  the  end  of  June,  deals  with  some  of 
the  homophobic  prejudice  that  has  been  en- 
gendered by  AIDS,  as  well  as  the  apparent 
lack  of  research  cooperation  among  competi- 
tive medical  groups  and  health  agencies. 

John  AllecH 

Pop  music 

•  You  all  remember  The  Weather  Girls  ("It's 
Raining  Men")?  Well,  they've  come  up  with  a 
new  single  called  "Success."  Pay  special 
attention  to  the  lyrics:  "We'd  like  to  thank 
the  public  for  making  us  stars /Especially  the 
boys  in  the  backroom  bars."  Finally  —  some 
credit  where  credit's  due! 

•  Toronto's  Pukka  Orchestra  have  redeemed 
themselves  somewhat  after  their  horrid 
butchering  of  Tom  Robinson's  "Listen  to  the 
Radio."  Their  new  single  "Cherry  Beach  Ex- 
press" has  a  very  catchy  beat,  nice  vocal  har- 
mony, and  some  very  not  nice  things  about 
encounters  with  Toronto's  boys  in  blue: 
"That's  why  I'm  ridin'  on  the  Cherry  beach 
Express  /  My  wrists  are  broken  and  my  face  is 
in  a  mess."  4Q52!  It's  available  in  record 
stores  around  town  on  their  self-titled  album. 

•  The  battle  lines  have  been  drawn  among  the 
leaders  of  England's  gender-bender  camp. 
Alas,  it  seems  that  those  girls  just  can't  get 
along  with  one  another.  At  first,  it  was  claws 
out  between  the  haughty  Marilyn  and  that 
"over  made-up  tart"  (thank  you,  Princess 
Margaret)  Boy  George.  That  altercation  seems 
to  have  ended,  only  to  be  replaced  by  a  nasty 
fight  between  George  and  Pete  Burns,  the  out- 
rageous lead  singer  of  Dead  or  Alive  ("That's 
the  way,  uh-huh,  uh-huh...").  The  English 
music  mags  are  eagerly  recording  each  episode, 
and  the  latest  issue  of  New  Musical  Express 
lets  them  both  have  a  go.  Boy  George  makes 
some  interesting  observations,  proposes  a 
truce,  and  closes  with  a  call  to  arms  against 
violent  homophobia:  "That's  what  we  should 
be  fighting,  not  each  other."  Miss  Burns,  it 
seems,  will  have  none  of  this:  "Fuck  off.  I 
don't  talk  to  men  in  dresses,"  quoth  he.  No 
malice  intended,  he  continues,  he's  just 
"naturally"  mean  and  bitchy.  I'll  say  —  his 
fave  fantasy  is  down  on  record  as  "sucking 
Muhammed  Ali's  knob,"  he  didn't  mind  a 
magazine  headline  claiming  he  was  found 
naked  in  bed  with  50  sailors,  and  he  once 
cancelled  an  interview  with  the  explanation,  "I 
tripped  over  a  pile  of  men  and  hurt  my  ankle." 

•  Pete  and  Princess  Maggie  aren't  the  only 
ones  after  Boy  George:  The  Marxist-Leninist, 
the  organ  of  the  Central  Committee  of  the 
Communist  Party  of  Canada,  has  declared 
that  he's  "an  instrument  of  imperialist  cul- 
tural aggression  to  glorify  the  barren  waste- 
land in  man's  spiritual  life  which  has  been 
created  by  imperialism....  He  is  their  agent, 
to  spread  the  lack  of  convictions  amongst  the 
youth.  The  ideals  of  parasitism,  decay  and 
corruption...."  Isn't  it  funny  how  this  sounds 
just  like  the  elder  Mormons  at  Brigham 
Young  University  in  Utah,  who  banned  C*ul- 
ture  Club's  albums  because  they  are  "promo- 
ting homosexuality  and  transvestism."  Don't 
these  people  know  a  good  drag  queen  when 
theyseeone?  AlanMcGintyP 


^CJTHE  BODY  POLITIC  u  JULY/ AUGUST  1984 


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SHARED  GROUND 

JOY  PARKS 


Special  people  and  chocolate  explosions 


I  returned  from  my  first  visit  to  San 
Francisco  last  month  feeling  as  if  I'd 
been  to  lesbian  writer's  mecca.  Just  to  be 
there,  in  a  city  that  must  hold  the  record 
for  most  lesbian  writers  per  square  mile, 
was  truly  invigorating.  The  city  itself, 
the  entire  Bay  area,  is  remarkable  —  the 
ocean,  the  eucalyptus-scented  Berkeley 
hills,  the  tiny  shrimp  in  tomato  sauce 
which  I  ate  while  breathing  the  fishy  air 


of  the  wharf.  But  certainly  one  of  the 
highlights  of  my  trip  was  visiting  the 
profusion  of  women's  bookstores  and 
businesses.  This  column  will  not  be 
about  books  —  it's  a  travel  piece, 
my  readers  in  this  radical  departure  from 
my  usual  column. 

The  centre  of  lesbian  activity  in  San 
Francisco  is  Valencia  Street,  in  the  Mis- 
sion District  between  16th  and  23rd 
Streets.  Walking  down  from  23rd,  the 
first  sign  of  activity  is  the  Artemis  Cafe. 
The  food  is  tasty  and  wholesome.  The 
cafe  caters  to  the  veggie  and  dessert 
crowd,  and  the  service  is  unusually 
pleasant.  (Why  does  being  politically 
correct  mean  never  having  to  say 
"you're  welcome"?) 

After  dessert,  I  made  my  way  to  the 
legendary  Old  Wives  Tales.  This  incred- 
ibly huge  store  houses  practically  every 
woman's  book  in  print,  as  well  as 
periodicals  and  posters  and  lots  of 
T-shirts,  bags,  hankies  and  gifts  im- 
printed with  women's  or  lesbian  sym- 
bols. While  the  woman  at  the  counter 
patiently  searched  for  a  souvenir  book- 
mark for  me  (it  was  her  first  day  on  the 
job),  I  wandered  around  the  upstairs 
lounge  and  found  an  armful  of  publica- 
tions, such  as  Poetry  Flash  and  Fiction 
Monthly  (tabloids  of  reviews  and  news 


of  local  literary  events)  and  Coming  Up 
(a  local  gay/lesbian  paper)  and  al\free\ 
The  lounge  is  a  storehouse  of  informa- 
tion on  alternative  organizations  in  the 
Bay  area  —  a  real  find  for  someone  new 
in  town. 

Braving  the  traffic,  I  crossed  over  to 
Modern  Times.  There  is  a  rather  serene 
quality  to  this  bookstore,  which  carries 
socialist  as  well  as  feminist  literature. 
The  space  is  filled  with  casual  clutter, 
and  the  conversations  made  me  wonder 
if  I  had  stumbled  into  a  left-wing  drop- 
in  centre.  Their  women's  section  beats 
most  I've  seen  hands  down. 

Further  down  the  street  is  Osento,  a 
women's  bathhouse.  As  I  paced  back 
and  forth  outside  the  door,  I  wondered 
if  "bathhouse"  means  the  same  thing  in 
San  Francisco  as  it  does  in  Toronto.  Did 
other  women  go  in  there  specifically 
to...  you  know,  or  just  for  a  hot  tub? 
Could  I?  Dare  I  go  in?  No,  the  memory 
of  my  cowardly  self  slinking  away  from 
the  door  will  haunt  me,  but  in  truth,  I 
was  too  chicken  to  step  inside. 

Down  the  street,  I  peeked  in  the  win- 
dow of  the  Valencia  Rose,  a  cafe  and 
cabaret,  housed  in  a  stunning  vulva-pink 
building  that  was  once  a  mortuary.  Then 
on  to  the  San  Francisco  Women's  Build- 
ing, a  huge  old  Spanish-style  building 
that,  when  I  went  in,  was  packed  with 
women  of  every  age  and  description. 
The  lobby  contained  its  share  of  free- 
bies:  local  arts  papers  and  Mission  Dis- 
trict news  magazines.  One  could  be  des- 
titute in  this  city  and  still  read  for  days! 

On  the  last  day  of  my  trip,  I  braved 
BART  —  not  a  person,  but  the  Bay  Area 
Rapid  Transit  system  —  to  travel  to 
Oakland  to  visit  A  Woman's  Place. 
Again,  I  was  impressed  by  the  sheer 
dimensions  of  this  bookstore;  they  had 
saved  a  corner  for  their  selection  of 
bumper  stickers  and  buttons.  Like  most 
of  the  stores  mentioned  here,  A 
Woman's  Place  has  a  full  schedule  of 
readings  (the  writers  in  the  anthology 
New  Lesbian  Writing,  eidted  by  Mar- 
garet Cruikshank,  were  next  on  the  sche- 
dule) plus  other  social  events  for  cus- 
tomers and  volunteer  staff.  The  book- 
shop's activities  help  to  bring  the  com- 
munity together. 

There  were  other  treats  too.  Like  get- 
ting lost  on  the  way  to  the  bathroom  at 
the  Pacific  Arts  and  Letters  Small  Press 
Fair,  and  stumbling  upon  a  display  case 
of  artifacts  of  Bay-area  lesbian  life  from 
the  Gold  Rush  to  the  present,  complete 
with  Daughters  of  Bilitis  conference  pro- 
grammes and  posters  of  nineteenth  cen- 
tury women  passing  as  men.  I  drank  cof- 
fee with  very  special  women  whose  work 
1  admire  and  respect;  Iparticipated  in  the 
morning  coffee-and-conversation  ritual 
with  a  group  of  Berkeley  artists  on  the 
steps  of  a  downtown  church.  A  friend 
turning  me  on  to  the  greatest  chocolate 
truffles  in  the  history  of  the  world,  more 
an  orgiastic  explosion  of  chocolate  than 
a  mere  bonbon.  The  Bay  area  so  im- 
pressed me  the  1  couldn'rc  resist  step- 
ping out  of  my  book-critic  shoes  to 
speak  of  my  love  of  the  city.  San  Fran- 
cisco is  truly  home  base  of  much  of  the 
lesbian  energy  and  talent  that  is  regularly 
celebrated  in  this  space.  And  yes,  I  left 
my  heart.. ..D 


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Whether  you've  come  for 
dinner  in  our  coxy 
restaurant,  a  game  of 
pool  in  the  upstairs  bar, 
or  to  dance  the  night 
away  on  one  of  our  two 
dance  floors,  you'll  find 
what  you're 
looking  for  . . . 


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Unisex  Hair  Design 

HAIR 
GALAXY 

466-7881 


1 246  Gerrard  St  East  Toronto 
Complete  Hair  Care 


Hours:  3  pm  - 1  am,  Mon  -  Fri;  12  noon  - 1  am,  Sat  &  Sun 


THE  RESTAURANT: 

Savory  home  cooking 
awaits  you.  Brunch  is 
now  being  served  every 
Sunday  from  12  to  3  and 
only  costs  $7  tor  2 
Following  brunch  there's 
live  entertainment  in  the 
bar  out  front 


THE  FRONT  BAR: 

After  dinner  come  out  front  and 
dance  the  night  away  —  DJs  John 
Webber  and  Judy  Ley  take  turns 
spinning  the  turntables  every  night 
from  9  pm  'til  after  1  am  with  the 
hottest  music  in  town.  Every  second 
Tuesday  is  comedy  night  with  Faith 
Nolan  Drinks  are  reasonably  priced 


TOGETHER 
457  Church  St 
Toronto 
923  3469 


THE  POOL  ROOM: 
With  a  separate  bar  upstairs 
you  can  have  a  friendly 
game  of  pool,  video  games 
or  |ust  relax  and  enioy  the 
comfortable  atmosphere  of 
"the  playroom  "  Who  knows 
what  new  friends  await  your 
arrival1 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY/AUGUST  1984  I     41 


METROPOLITAN 

COMMUNITY 

CHURCH 

730  Bathurst  Street 

Toronto  Ontario 

M5S2R4 

(416)536-2848 
Rev  Brent  Hawkes,  B  Sc,  B  Ed,  Pastor 

An  Ecumenical  Christian  Church  for  all  people 
with  a  special  ministry  to  the  Cay  community 


-I 


What  we  believe 

FAITH 

Now  faith  is  the  assurance  of 

things  hoped  for,  the 

conviction  of  things  not 

seen.... For  whoever  would 

draw  near  to  Cod  must  believe 

that  Cod  exists.... Hebrews  im.6 

HOPE 

...a  spirit  of  wisdom  and  of 

revelation  in  the  knowledge  of 

Cod,  having  the  eyes  of  your 

hearts  enlightened,  that  you 

may  know  what  is  the  hope  to 

which  Cod  has  called 

VOU....EPIIESIANS  1:17-18 

LOVE 

Love  is  patient  and 

kind... rejoices  in  the 

right... bears  all  things,  believes 

all  things,  hopes  all  things, 
endures  all  things. ..never  ends. 

1  CORINTHIANS  13:4.  68 

So  faith,  hope,  love  abide, 
these  three;  but  the  greatest  of 
these  is  love.      i  (orinthiass  m  n 


Weekly 
Worship  Services 

Wednesday 

at  7:30  pm 

Sunday 

at  11:00  am  &  7:30  pm 

VVtih  StnRspiration  IS  minutes  before  services 

Sunday  Sc hool  i>  provirtifl 
every  Surutov  <»rn  sefvice 

Amplihcihon  for  ihe  hearing  imiMin-rl 

Wheelchair  ,i<  <  essibilir) 

On  Ihe  lirsl  anri  lay  Sunday  <*  each  monlh 
both  worship  •*-*%  k  es  will  be  vgnecl  tor  the  ileal 

Instrumental  Ensemble* 

Tuesday  at  6:30  pm 

Choir* 

Thursday  at  7:00  pm 


"Church  membership  is  not 

required  for  participation  in 

these  groups. 


Robert  A. 
Brosius 

CHARTERED 
ACCOUNTANT 


Tax  and  Accounting  Services 

922-6949 


In  Cabbagetown 
Parliament  &  Wellesley 


P.O.  Box  158.  Station  A 
Toronto    M5W  1B2 


Real  Estate 

call 


Harvey  Malinsky 

922-5533  Res:  364-1900 

Offering  personal  real  esfate 
services  to  our  community. 

For  Lovers  Only 

A  beautifully  renovated  nest  in  Riverdale  ..  meals 
prepared  in  this  chef's  kitchen...  walkout  to 
secluded  deck  and  garden...  cocktails  and  quiet 
dinners  in  a  spacious  yet  cozy  living/dining 
room...  second  bedroom  foroccasional  overnight 
guests,  and  finally,  a  large  master  bedroom  with 
cathedral  ceiling  for..  $116,900  Only  $12,000 
down 

Rosedale 
Historical  18-room  mansion  designed  by  C  J  Gib- 
son $595,000 
Large  triplex  $440,000. 

Cabbagetown 
Overly  large  3-bedroom  townhouse.  $139,900. 
New  3-storey  detached  Victorian  $258,900 
2-bedroom  condoapartment  $84,900 
4  level  architecturally  designed  semi.  $173,900 

Residential  investment  properties  with  high 
returns  $109,000  •  $265,000. 

Cimerman  Real  Estate  Ltd. 

501  Parliament  Street 
Toronto.  Ontario  M4X  1P3 


CLASSIFIEDS 


HOMES 


TORONTO 


BROADVIEW-GERRARD.  Mature  responsible 
lean  M/F  to  share  3  storey  home.  Parking  and  yard. 
$265  incl.  Available  immediately.  463-5528. 

MATURE,  EASY  GOING  professional  male  moving 
to  Toronto  in  August,  wants  to  share  accommodation 
with  responsible  younger  same  or  grad  student. 
Drawer  E480. 

TOP  FLOOR  OF  HOUSE.  Share  3  storey  home  with 
two  others.  Sundeck,  laundry  facilities,  close  to 
downtown,  with  TTC  at  doorstep.  Riverdale  area. 
$2507month.  Call  John,  469-0349. 

ROOMS  FOR  RENT,  large,  sunny,  share  facilities. 
North  Riverdale  .$200  per  month.  Suitable  for  quiet 
mature  individual.  Call  Bill,  465-9871. 

BEACHES  TOWNHOUSE.  Responsible  male  share 
handsomely  renovated  accommodation.  (Four  bed- 
room, all  conveniences.)  Non-smoker  preferred.  Ref- 
erences. Box  921,  Stn  A,  Toronto. 

GAY  MALE  44,  professional  background  Arts  ad- 
ministration, looking  for  tidy  considerate  gay  mate  to 
(1)  share  existing  downtown  2  bedroom  renovated 
house.  An  organized  attractive  quiet  home,  5  applian- 
ces, central  air,  parking,  or  (2)  Find  and  share  suitable 
alternative  accomodation.  Interested  in  long  term  ar- 
rangement with  the  right  person.  Reply  Drawer  E432. 

SOUTHERN  ONTARIO         ~ 
COTTAGE  FOR  SALE 

Beautiful  Georgian  Bay  waterfront  property  (80' 
frontage)  near  Meaford.  Spacious  partially  winter- 
ized cottage  with  fireplace,  custom  kitchen,  two  bed- 
rooms, two  guest  cabins,  garage,  shuffleboard 
courts.  Ideal  retreat  for  all  seasons,  on  private  road 
open  year  round.  Private  sale.  Call  afternoons:  (519) 
538-4754. 


OTTAWA 


I  have  a  house  to  share  with  a  non-smoking  person. 
3-plus  bedrooms,  living,  dining,  large  kitchen,  five 
appliances.  Yard  for  sunning  and  BBQing.  Quiet 
neighbourhood  —  Charlotte  at  Clarence  St. 
$390/month.  August  1st.  235-0377.  Michael. 


SERVICES 


NATIONAL 


TANTRlC  MEDITATION  SERVICES.  Box  44, 
Oakville  MB  R0H  0Y0.  Please  write.  Replies  in 
English,  direct  from  India. 


TORONTO 


COUNSELLING 

Individuals,  couples  and  families.  More  than  a  decade 
of  experience.  Rosemary  Cozens,  MA  and  Lindsay 
Cobb  MA,  484-6456. 


cnv     j 
wirc  J* 
maiD"* 

S6MGE  f 

Cleaning 
for  your h 
at  rates  y 

Toronto 

■                  Professionally 

W\                           Trained 

jw                           Bonded 

&  Supervised 

personnel 

ome  or  apartment 

ou  can  afford. 

363-6231 

Moving  and  Storage 

Local  and  long  distance 

Acme  Moving  &  Storage 

(416)751-9124 


Member  Allied  Van  Lines 


SJfti 

Piano  Tuning  &  Repair 

Pianos  are  sensitive  beasts: 

StATS^l 

all  that  iron  and  wood  to 

the  contrary. 'The  change  of 
humidity  in  the  spring  is 

^~^T7^TW        I 

especially  hard  on  them. 

^^S.jr^' 

Call  me. 

■ 

lames  Tennv*on 

Certified  Piano  Technician 

335  Markham  St,  Toronto 

1  ^--^*0<^WiP 

967-6653 

EXPERIENCED  THERAPIST  available  to  individ- 
uals/couples for  interpersonal  and  psychosexual  diffi- 
culties. Please  leave  message  at  535-9818.  Bill  San- 
ders, MSW,  Certified  Sexual  Therapist. 

MASSAGE  FOR  HEALTH  done  by  proressional 
massage  therapist.  Mr  Fung.  By  appointment  only. 
465-9810. 

SOLSTICE.  GAY  ASTROLOGICAL  and  tarot  con- 
sultations. 463-9688. 

CANADIAN  MALE  SEEKS  Caucasian  or  Chinese 
Cantonese-speaker  as  tutor.  Ability  to  read  and  write 
characters  essential.  Patience,  sense  of  humour  an 
asset.  Drawer  E46I. 

VIDEO  SERVICES— affordable  taping  of  talent 
resumes,  singers,  musicians,  artists,  fashion,  special 
occasions.  Let's  talk,  afternoons  and  evenings. 
979-9716. 

ARTIST  WILL  CREATE  realistic  drawings  of  your 
favourite  picture  or  photo,  that  you  will  treasure  for 
many  years,  or  can  give  as  a  gift.  Any  theme,  erotic, 
etc.  Or  will  create  something  to  your  liking.  Call  Paul 
at  653-6313. 

PROFESSIONAL  PHOTOGRAPHER 

PORTRAITS  of  you  and  /or  your  lover,  nudes,  port- 
folios, fashion,  art  copy  work,  and  other  assign- 
ments. Photographed  on  location.  Inquiries:  Clive 
Pyne  Photography,  694-5335. 


LL's  Painting  &  Decorating 

Wallpapering  &  repairs 

Louis  Leveille       461-9940 

10  Hogarth  Ave  -  Apt  1408 
Toronto  Ont  M4K  1J9 


planning  research  &  design  consultant 


GORDON  K.STONE 

B.  Architecture 


P  O  Box  424.  Station  F 

Toronto.  Ontario  M4Y  2L8 

(416)924-9061 


OTTAWA 


CERAMIC  ART  CLASSES  with  a  difference.  Call 
Paul  at  829-9812. 


WORK 


WORK  WITH  ME 

HOME  BUSINESS  for  everyone  and  anywhere  in 
Canada  and  USA.  No  investment.  Good  income, 
vacations  plus  free  car.  For  information  please  write 
to;  List,  Box  5982,  Stn  A,  Toronto  ONT  M5W  1P4. 

BUDDY'S,  Toronto  gay  bar,  is  looking  for  a  positive 
problem-solving  people-and-profit-oriented  profes- 
sional to  assume  its  management.  Applicants  with 
resumes  please  call  Randi  at  (416)  598-3040  for  an 
interview.       

WANTED:  Go-go  dancers  with  good  physiques  and 
looks  for  special  shows  in  Toronto  bars.  Also  ex- 
perienced bartender.  Excellent  wages  and  good  work- 
ing conditions.  Call  Owen  for  audition  and  interview 
at  598-3039  between  10:30  am  and  5:30  pm. 

MESSAGES 

HEALTH  QUESTIONS?  PROBLEM  with  relation- 
ships? Write  "This  Ain't  Ann  Landers,"  Box  7289,  Stn 
A,  Toronto  ON  MSW  1X9.  Anonymous  if  you  wish. 

WILL  CHRIS  FOX  or  anyone  knowing  her  where- 
abouts please  contact  Marion  Foster  at  39  MacDon- 
ald  Street,  Toronto,  ON  M8V  1Y3. 


BOOKS 


MALE  HOMOSEXUALITY  IN  LITERATURE. 
Paths  Untrodden  Book  Service,  PO  Box  459,  Village 
Station,  New  York,  NY  10014-0459.  Catalogue 
$2.00  US    

VOLUNTEERS 

ORGANIZATIONS  seeking  volunteers  can  find 
them  in  The  Body  Politic  classifieds.  Advertise  for 
volunteer  help  and  get  a  50%  discount  Off  our  regular 
reasonable  rates. 

LESBIANS  AND  GAY  MEN  wanted  for  peer  coun- 
selling  and  information  phoneline.  Should  possess  a 
mature  attitude,  common  sense  and  empathy.  Phone 
TAG  at  964-6600. 


GROUPS 


GAY  OUTDOORS  CLUB 

OTTAWA  AND  AREA.  A  new  club  is  forming  for 
gay  people  interested  in  the  outdoors.  If  you  would  be 
interested  in  joining  others  for  camping  weekends, 
hiking,  canoeing,  cycling,  skiing,  etc,  now's  your 
chance  to  get  in  at  the  beginning.  If  you  are  interested 
in  finding  out  more  write  to  Out  and  Out  Toronto, 
Box  331,  Stn  F,  Toronto  ON  M4Y  2L7. 

FIND  WRESTLING  PARTNERS  in  Canada  and  US 
Northwest.  Join  NW  Wrestling  Directory.  Free.  Box 
1864,  Stn  A,  Kelowna,  BC  V1Y  8M3. 


42  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY  /AUGUST  1984 


NORTH  AMERICAN  Man/Boy  Love  Association. 
For  further  information  send  $1.00  US  to: 
NAMBLA,  Box  174,  New  York,  NY  10018. 

GAY  INVESTMENT  GROUP  FORMING 

A  new  informal  gay  investment  group  forming  this 
fall.  Learn  about  the  stock  market  and  meet  new 
friends.  Send  details  about  yourself  and  occupation 
together  with  your  home  phone  number.  Limited 
membership.  Drawer  E502. 


OTHER 


GAY  COURTWATCH.  General  court  information, 
lawyer  referrals,  crisis  referrals,  support  services.  If 
you  have  been  arrested  or  need  assistance  with  the 
court  system  leave  a  message  at  room  337,  Old  City 
Hall  or  call  362-6928  or  961-8046.  We  are  here  to  help 
you. 

SEXUAL  REJUVENATION  male  and  female.  Safe 
herbal  remedial.  Fully  guaranteed.  $14.00  cheque  or 
money  order.  Mankind,  Box  1160,  Stn  F,  Toronto, 
ON  M4T  278. 

GAY  IN  THE  SUBURBS?  Want  to  talk?  Gay  Alli- 
ance  at  York  planning  symposium  in  the  fall.  Inter- 
ested? Contact  G.A.Y.,  York  University,  4700  Keele 
St,  Downsview  ON  M3J  1P3. 

QUIT  SMOKING  EASY  WAY  cut  down  or  stop  now. 
Safe  herbal  remedial.  Fully  guaranteed.  $14.00.  Man- 
kind, Box  1160,  Stn  F,  Toronto,  ON  M4T  278, 
Canada. 


TRAVEL 


BOSTON'S  ALL-GAY  place  to  stay.  Two  renovated 
back  bay  town  houses,  continental  breakfast,  cock- 
tail setups,  minute's  walk  to  historic  sites  and  night 
life,  private /shared  bath.  $25-$45.  Oasis,  22  Edgerly 
Rd,  Boston,  MA  02115.  617-267-2262. 

BED  AND  BREAKFAST  in  private  gay  homes.  San 
Francisco,  Los  Angeles,  San  Diego  or  Texas.  Details: 
BayHosts,  1155  Bosworth,  San  Francisco  CA  941 31. 
Tel:  415-334-7262. 

NOVA  SCOTIA:  Lovett  Lodge  Inn.  Victorian  anti- 
ques, alpine.  Near  St  John  —  Digby  Ferry.  Brochure: 
PO  Box  119,  Bear  River,  NS  BOS  1 B0. 1-902-467-3917. 

A  HOME  AWAY  FROM  HOME.  Cabbagetown 
lodging  house  and  efficiencies.  300  Wellesley  St.  E.  at 
Parliament.  For  information  call  Bill  or  Allen, 
961-9320. 


Fort  Lauderdale,  Florida 

Spend  a  pleasant  vacation  at  the 

LAUDERDALE  MANOR  300  ft.  from  our 

beautiful  beach.  Party  at  the  world-famous 

Marlin  Beach  Hotel  next  door  and  come 

back  to  a  quiet  and  friendly  atmosphere. 

Modestly  priced  hotel  rooms,  efficiencies 

and  apartments  with  color  TV.  New  pool  in 

our  tropical  garden  and  BBQ.  Call  or  write 

Lauderdale  Manor  Motel,  2926  Valencia  St. 

fort  Lauderdale,  Fla  33316 

Tel:  (305)  463-3385 


GUEST 
HOUSE 

—> 


Carls 

ptbvincetov/n 

Center  of  Town 

April  thru  October 

Clean,  confortable,  inexpensive 

Carl,  your  host 

68  Bradford  St 
Provincetown  MA  02657 

(617)487-1650 


Guesthouse  &  Tavern 

Newer  and  better. 
Check  us  out! 


18  Eastern  Avenue 
TorontoONM5A1H5 

(416)368-4040 


THE  INN  2  VILLAGE  SQUARE 

OGUNQUIT.  Spacious,  Victorian  guesthouse 
overlooking  the  town.  Oceanview,  sundeck,  con- 
tinental breakfast,  walking  distance  to  beach,  clubs, 
restaurants.  Relax  with  friends.  PO  Box  864,  Ogun- 
quit,  Maine  03907.  (207)  646-5779. 


Friendly  places  to  stay  .  .  .  Miles 
of  beaches  . .  .  Great  restaurants 
.  .  .  Lots  of  entertainment  and 
dancing  .  .  .  Variety  of  shops 
and  galleries  .  .  . 
Write  for  free  directory 
Provincetown 
Business  Guild 
Box  421  Dept.  R 
/f  Provincetown,  MA  02657 
*  .-    Call  (617)  487-2313 

ROVINCETOWN 

Enjoy  It  With  Us! 


MODELS/ESCORTS 

EDMONTON.  Hunky  male  escort,  31,  6'  180  lbs, 
hairy,  prefer  out-of-town  hotel  registered  guest. 
Write  Drawer  E060. 

TORONTO  ~ 

HANDSOME,  COMPETITIVE  BODYBUILDER 
available  for  modelling.  Big,  blond  and  beautiful. 
Call  927-0558. 

"HOT",  CUTE  ITALIAN,  5'7"  150  lbs,  into 
bodybuilding.  Slender,  youthful,  good-looking,  ac- 
tor, model,  escort.  Call  "Angelo"  anytime.  Absolute 
discretion  assured.  363-3417. 

"GENTLEMEN'S  GENTLEMEN"  —  Two  clean- 
cut  good-looking  males,  19  and  22,  available  for  per- 
sonal escort /model  services.  922-2089. 

BRIGHT,  ATTRACTIVE  STUDENT  (21),  discreet 
and  versatile,  seeks  position  as  personal  escort .  Steve: 
961-4680. 

GAY  WHITE  MALE,  19,  slim,  athletic,  available  for 
escort  and  modelling.  I  have  three  years  experience  as 
an  escort/model.  For  discreet  consultation  call  Dave: 
927-9974. 

FIRST  CHOICE  —  Attractive,  black  35  and  blond, 
blue-blue  eyes  (white),  24,  available  for  personal 
escort /model  service.  Single  or  together.  Minimum 
$50.  Single.  977-1155. 

TORONTO  ESCORTS  &  MODELS 
FULFILL  YOUR  FANTASIES.  Lean  muscular  26, 
5'11"  170  lbs,  masculine,  clean  cut  man  available  as 
escort  and/or  model.  Call  Rick:  653-2115. 


GUYS  'n'  GALS 

From  Burt  Reynolds 

to  Elvis  Costellos, 

from  Dolly  Partons 

toTwiggys. 

All  types  of  models  available. 

Call  (416)  461-6676 


PRISONERS 


A  NOTE  to  prisoners  who  wish  to  have  pen  pals  — 
Metropolitan  Community  Church  is  offering  a  pen- 
pal service  to  men  and  women  prisoners  through  the 
church's  prison  ministry.  Prison  Ministry,  730  Bath- 
urst  St,  Toronto,  ON  M5S  2R4. 

GAYS  AND  YOUNG  PRISONERS  threatened  with 
sexual  exploitation,  in  institutions  everywhere,  bene- 
fit from  the  work  of  The  Prometheus  Foundation, 
which  also  protects  gays  in  society  from  rip-offs  by 
unscrupulous  inmates.  For  information  on  the  Pen 
Pal  Group  and  other  vital  programmes,  and  a  copy  of 
FIRE!,  the  Foundation's  newsletter,  send  SASE  to: 
Prometheus,  Box  12954,  Pittsburgh,  PA  15241. 

BLACK  INMATE  doing  time  in  this  red-neck  county 
of  Oklahoma.  In  need  of  a  friend  who  will  help  me 
through  these  rough  times  I'm  facing;  and  late  at 
night.  Into  all  kinds  of  music,  opera,  and  the  stage;  I 
play  guitar  and  piano. I'm  so  lonely  —  please  answer 
my  plea.  From  NYC,  planning  to  move  to  Canada 
after  I'm  discharged.  I'm  open-minded,  are  you? 
Bobby  Ross  133616,  PO  Box  97,  OSP,  McAlester  OK 
74501. 

1  AM  A  21-YEAR-OLD  white  male  serving  a  3-year 
sentence,  soon  to  be  released.  In  search  of  a  true 
friend,  relationship,  love,  and  happiness  with  an 
older,  serious-minded  gay  who  I  can  be  with  upon  my 
release.  I  am  5'9"  139  lbs,  blond  hair  and  blue  eyes. 
Tommy  Howard  Gilbreath,  PO  Box  97-90673, 
McAlester  OK  74502. 

I  WOULD  LIKE  to  hear  from  all  gay  males  and 
(ransvestitcs/ transsexuals.  I  will  write  to  all  who  write 
to  me  I  look  forward  to  hearing  from  you.  Harry 
Langert  82A0167,  Box  618,  Auburn  NY  13201. 

KINKY?  Any  wild  hunks  out  there  that  enjoy  being 
kinky  and  having  someone  special  to  share  your 
wildest  thoughts  and  desires  with?  I'm  23,  5'9"  160 
lbs,  dark  brown  hair,  green  eyes,  getting  out  in  85.  En- 
joy hearing  from  ali,  especially  if  as  above.  Will 
answer  all.  Kenny  Nuckels  128220,  PO  Box  97, 
McAlester  OK  74501. 


PAUL  T.WILLIS, 

1>.  A..,  LL.B. 

BARRISTER  AND  SOLICITOR 
NOTARY  PUBLIC 

For  the  General 
Practice  of  Law 

Day  or  evening 
appointments  available 

1240  Bay  Street  (at  Bloor),  Suite  307 
Toronto,  Ontario  M5R  2A7 

Office  (416)  923-2601 
Residence  (416)  961-7963 


O 


Robert  G.  Coates 

B.  Sc.,  LL.  B. 
Barrister  &  Solicitor 


70  Dundas  Street  East 

Toronto,  Ontario  M5B  1C7 

598-4922 


THE  ACCOUNTING  CLINIC      =^-* 


368  DUNDAS  STREET  EAST 
TORONTO,  ONTARIO  M5A  2A3 
(416)927-1702 


•  • 


Ask  for  Don  McCurdy 


The  Rhinos  were  invited  uptown  to  tea  It 
was  a  very  hot  day— their  suits  fit  a  little 
too  snugly— and  both  had  forgotten  the  correct 
way  to  eat  asparagus  Dauntlessly.  they 
presented  their  card. 


rA**% 


Calling  cards  arc  a  charming  old  form  of  introduction.  Different 

from  business  cards  they're'  just  friendly  and  invite  no  trade  Ol 

commerce.  Presented  in  social  situations,  you're  bound  to  be 

remembered  even  when  you're  not  feeling  your  mosl  memorable. 

CALLINC  CARlfS  -  A  Tvrrific  Present 


RHENO 


i  \  <   o  i<  |»  o  k  \  i  K  i) 
428  Dundas  Street  East 

(Dundas  and  Parliament) 
Happily  sharing  space  with  Altitude  Bakers  and  Rites  Maga/me 

925-8377 
T\  i»t*M*ttiiiK  for  I  lie  rominuitit}  nilh  humour  and  *kill 

THE  BODY  POLITIC  LI  JULY /AUGUST  1984  □  43 


THE  BARN 

TORONTO 

LEATHER  &  WESTERN  BAR 
83 GRANBY  STREET 

(CORNER  OF  CHURCH) 

416-977-4684 


A  PLACE  TO  MEET  FRIENDS 

CRUISING  •  PINBALL  •  JUKE  BOX 


MONDAY  ■  SATURDAY  8  PM  —  1  AM 
SUNDAY  5  PM  —  11  PM 


Enjoy 

Relaxing  Music 

at  the  Piano  Bar  and 

Elegant  Dining 

in  the  Restaurant 


Vloml.iv  In  Fruldv 
12  00  -  1  00  p.m. 

Saturday 
5:00  -  I  00  p  m. 


400  -  II  00  p  m 
Sunday  Brunch  54.95 


%t&  Catoalier* 

418  Church     •     977-4702 


9  Isabella  St., Tor  onto,  Canada 

(416)921-3012 


44  D  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY  /AUGUST  1984 


LEFT  BANK  BOOKS  sponsors  a  Books  For  Prisoners 
project.  Through  donations  and  a  postage  grant  we  are 
able  to  send  free  miscellaneous  books  to  inmates  every- 
where, (provided  an  institution  allows  them).  We  offer 
special  order  books  at  cost  (usually  35-40%  off).  Pris- 
oners and  other  interested  persons  should  write:  Books 
For  Prisoners,  Box  A,  92  Pike  St,  Seattle,  WA  98101. 

TRANSSEXUAL  23.  Have  you  been  fooled  by  the 
rest?  Well  try  the  best.  I'm  tall,  160  lbs,  green  eyes  and 
brown  hair.  I'm  a  loving  girl  that  is  petite  and  very 
pretty.  I  want  a  man  that  can  and  will  take  care  of  me 
while  I'm  going  through  these  hard  times.  I  love  to 
take  care  of  my  man  in  all  ways.  Only  sincere  men 
need  bother  to  reply.  Send  a  SASE  to  Rae  "  Rachelle" 
Arment,  PO  Box  777,  Monroe  WA  98272. 

FRIENDS:  FEMALE 

INTERNATIONAL 

GAY  WOMEN  WRITE/meet  everywhere!  through 
The  Wishing  Well  Magazine  Program.  Confidential 
(Code  Numbers  used), supportive, dignified, prompt. 
Ten  years'  reliable  reputation.  Tender,  loving  alterna- 
tive. Introductory  copy  US$5  (mailed  discreetly  first 
class).  Canadian  women  especially  welcome!  Free  in- 
formation:  Box  117,  Novato,  CA  94948-0117. 

WOMAN,  USA  CITIZEN  (straight  or  gay)  sought 
for  marriage  of  mutual  benefit  by  Canadian  gay  male. 
Drawer  E426. 

TORONTO 

WILD  WOMEN  IN  SEARCH  OF  THE  BIG  "O"? 
Do  you  rush  to  your  mailbox  every  day  looking  for  an 
invitation  to  your  first  (or  latest)  orgy?  Drop  us  a  let- 
ter (detailed  and  juicy)  to  say  why  you  should  be  in- 
vited to  ours.  And  who  knows  what  the  post  may 
bring  tomorrow?  Drawer  D723. 

SINCERE  FRIENDSHIP  OR  MORE 

A  YOUNG,  COLLEGE  gay  male  is  seeking  a  gay  or 
bisexual  female  for  friendship.  I  am  masculine  in  ap- 
pearance, 20,  5'7"  130  lbs,  dark  hair,  brown  eyes.  My 
interests  include  theatre,  dancing,  dining  out  and 
cooking  at  home.  This  relationship  could  satisfy  our 
mutual  social  and  family  obligations,  possibly  mar- 
riage. Drawer  E403. 


PETERBOROUGH 


LESBIAN  looking  for  others  in  Peterborough.  Take 
a  moment  and  write.  I  need  to  hear  from  you.  Drawer 
E501. 

NEW  BRUNSWICK 

27-YEAR-OLD  female  professional;  love  reading, 
music.  Need  lots  of  affection.  Very  monogamous. 
Looking  for  gay  female  friends  or  a  companion  in 
Fredericton  area.  Drawer  E450. 

FRIENDS  MALE 

INTERNATIONAL 

TO  BE  FRIEND  AND  LOVER.  Bearded,  38,  6'  180 
lbs,  Levis-type,  F/A,  G/P,  smoker,  music-lover,  un- 
conventional life,  lots  of  affection,  looking  for  some- 
one to  love.  Anywhere.  Alive.  Franz  Schubert,  Box 
1430,  Succ  Desjardins,  Montreal  PQ  HSB  1H3. 

HORNY,  HOT  correspondence  of  all  kinds  wanted 
from  anywhere.  J  /  O  —  washroom  sex,  curious  about 
W/S.  Try  me  in  your  first  letter.  Drawer  E291. 

I  LI  VE  IN  POLAND,  in  Warsaw.  My  name  is  Marek 
Wyloga.  I'm  23  years  old.  I'm  interested  in  gays  in 
Canada.  I'm  interested  in  theatre,  opera,  cinema, 
music  and  tourism.  I  would  like  to  correspond  with 
gays  from  Canada.  I  know  English  language.  Marek 
Wyloga,  UL.  Stalowa  12m.  7,  05-800  Pruzkow, 
Poland. 


NATIONAL 


BARE  NAKED  HORNY  stud  wants  to  hear  from 
other  guys  into  cocksucking,  W/S,  chicken, 
whatever.  Let  me  strut  my  stuff  for  you.  Revealing 
photo  a  must  for  reply.  Drawer  E513 

JO  BUDDIES  WANTED  with  big  balls  and  cock.  If 
you  enjoy  JO,  talking  dirty,  phone  calls,  fantasies,  big 
balls,  bare  feet,  write  now.  Am  37,  attractive.  Drawer 
E271. 

YOUNG  GWM,  MASCULINE,  sexually  versatile,  to 
relocate  for  relationship  with  GWM,  50,  in  great 
shape.  Reliable,  sober,  honest  type  only.  Photo,  full 
details  please.  Henry.  PO  Box  6864,  Stn  A,  Saint 
John,  NB  E2L  4S3. 

25  AND  JUST  COMING  OUT.  Into  voyeurism  and 
exhibitionism,  would  like  nude  photo  exchange  with 
young  college  jocks,  wrestlers  and  others.  Drawer 
E101. 

NOVICE  SLAVE 

25,  5'l  1"  1 60  lbs  seeks  master(s)  anywhere  in  Canada 
who  know(s)  how  to  put  a  slave  through  his  paces. 
S/M,  B/D,  W/S.  I  travel  widely  with  my  work  in  all 
areas  of  Canada  but  Maritimes,  so  I  will  be  in  your 
area  sometime  Sir!  Drawer  E453. 

23  YEAR  OLD  GWM,  6'  1 "  1 55  lbs,  brown  hair  and 
eyes,  looking  for  guys  to  27  for  long-lasting  intimate 
relationship.  Prefer  beardless  and  slim.  Currently 
working  professionally,  but  will  relocate  for  right  per- 
son. Write  Box  1208,  Thompson  MB  RUN  I  PI. 

BRITISH  COLUMBIA" 


VICTORIA  BI  GUY  28,  tall,  good-looking,  well- 
built,  wishes  to  meet  other  masculine  guys  for  casual 
friendship  and  occasional  sex.  Absolute  discretion 
guaranteed.  PO  Box  480,  Saanichton,  B(   VOS  I M0 

YOU'VE  TRIED  THE  BARS.  You've  tried  the 
balhs.  Now  try  the  alternative.  Mccl  by  mail  — 
guaranteed  non-smoky  and  youdon'i  have  to  ita)  up 
late  cither.  Jusl  use  the  form  at  righi.  Easy,  ch? 


WELCOME  TO  TBP  CLASSIFIEDS 

Gay  people  out  to  meet  other  gay  people,  right  across  Canada  and  beyond  our  borders  too. 

COST 

Just  35<p  per  word,  minimum  charge  $7.00.  Business  ads:  70$  per  word,  minimum  charge  $14.00,  or  call 
364-6320  for  reasonable  display  advertising  rates. 

YOU  CAN  SAVE  IF  YOU  SUBSCRIBE 

Body  Politic  subscribers:  you  can  deduct  $1.00  from  the  cost  of  your  ad. 

YOU  CAN  SAVE  IF  YOU  REPEAT  YOUR  AD 

Our  discount  system:  15%  off  for  2  runs,  20%  off  for  3  to  4  runs,  25%  off  for  5  to9  runs,  and  30%  for  10  runs  or 
more. 

CONDITIONS 

All  ads  should  be  fully  prepaid  by  cheque,  money  orderor  charge  card,  and  mailed  to  arrive  before  the  adver- 
tised deadline.  Late  ads  will  be  held  over  for  the  following  issue,  unless  you  instruct  otherwise. 

We  cannot  accept  ads  over  the  telephone. 

If  you  do  not  wish  to  print  your  address  or  phone  number,  you  can  request  a  drawer  number.  We  will  for- 
ward replies  to  you  twice  a  week  in  a  plain  envelope.  This  service  costs  $4.00  per  ad  per  issue. 

Replies  to  your  drawer  cannot  be  picked  up  at  our  office. 

Gay  sex  is  still  illegal  if  either  or  both  parties  are  under21,  or  if  more  than  2  people  are  involved,  regardless 
of  their  ages.  Please  word  your  ad  accordingly.  We  reserve  the  right  to  alter  or  refuse  any  ad. 

Remember,  too,  that  your  ad  is  reaching  other  people,  not  just  a  box  number.  So  it  is  smart  to  be  positive 
about  yourself,  not  insulting  to  others.  We  will  edit  out  phrases  like  "no  blacks"  or  "no  fats  or  ferns." 


Postage  here 


Drawer. 


TBP  CLASSIFIEDS 
Box  7289,  Station  A 
Toronto.  ON  M5W  1X9 


ANSWERING  AN  AD? 

No  charge.  Put  your  reply  in  an  envelope  and  address  it  as  in  the 

diagram.  Be  sure  the  drawer  number  is  on  the  outside  of  the  envelope. 

Office  staff  do  not  open  mail  addressed  to  a  drawer. 

HOW  TO  DO  IT 

Write  one  word  per  box.  The  amount  in  the  box  when  you  finish  is  the  basic  cost  of  your  ad,  but  please  be 

sure  to  add  in  the  cost  of  a  special  head  if  you  choose  one.  Mail  your  ad  along  with  your  payment  to  us 

here  at:  TBP  CLASSIFIEDS,  Box  7289,  Station  A,  Toronto,  ON  M5W 1X9. 


BOLD  (Max  30  characters))") 

STANDOUT  (Max  20  characters))))) 

GRABBER  (Max  15  characters))))) 

SPECIAL  HEADINGS 

Choose  one  of  the  headings  above, 
and  your  ad  will  practically  jump  off 
the  page.  See  the  examples  below 
to  decide  which  one  is  best  for  you. 


First,  and  cheapest:  BOLD! 
For  just  $5.00,  you  get  up  to  30 
characters  of  bold  type  to  head  off 
your  ad.  Here  are  a  few  examples: 


MEET  ME  INST  LOUIS 

OR  EVEN  DOWNTOWN  Toronto  would  do.  I'm 
looking  for  the  great-looking  guy  in  the  Speedo 
bathing  suit  who  ran  out  of  Chaps  last  Wednesday. 
Call  me  at  591-7693. 

AFFECTIONATE  GUY  SEEKS  SAME 
I ' M  LOOKI NG  FOR  a  man  who'll  give  me  all  the  lov- 
ing I  need,  and  who  can  take  all  the  loving  I  have  to 
give.  Write  Drawer  DXXX. 


Even  better:  STANDOUT! 
Up  to  20  characters  for  just  $10.00! 
Check  out  these  examples  to  see 
how  your  ad  would  look: 


HOT  BUNS,  EAGER  LIPS 

GWM,  36,  5' 10"  155  lbs,  would  like  to  service  you  in 
every  way  possible.  Have  great  ass  and  great  techni- 
que.  Drawer  EXXX. 

CABBAGETOWN  APT 

MAN  HAS  APT  TO  SHARE  in  quiet  section  of  Cab- 
bagetown  near  TTC  and  shopping.  AH  utilities,  own 
room,  non-smoker.  $300/month.  Call  666-3223. 


And  for  tops  in  attention-getting: 

GRABBER! 

An  extra  $15.00  over  the  basic  cost 

of  your  ad  buys  you  up  to  15  charact 

ers  that  will  spotlight  your  message. 

Check  out  these  examples: 


SLAVE  WANTED 

MASTER.  39,  MERCILESS,  seeks  slave  who  is  will- 
ing to  surrender  his  all.  Limits  respected.  Drawer 
DYYY. 

CAR  FOR  SALE 

1 980  RABBIT,  good  condition,  blue,  jusl  driven  oc- 
casionally tothebar\,asking$5,000orbcst  oflcr  (  .ill 
James,  944-3214. 


Write  the  text  of  your  ad  below,  one  word  per  box. 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7 

$7.35 

$7.70 

$8.05 

$8.40 

$8.75 

$9.10 

$9.45 

$9.80 

$10.15 

$10.50 

$10.85 

$11.20 

$11.55 

$11.90 

$1Z25 

$12.60 

$12.95 

$13.30 

$13.65 

$14.00 

$14.35 

$14.70 

$15.05 

$15.40 

$15.75 

$16.10 

$16.45 

$16.80 

$17.15 

$17.50 

$17.85 

$18.20 

$18.55 

$18.90 

$19.25 

$19.60 

$19.95 

$20.30 

$20.65 

$21.00 

$21.35 

$21.70 

$22.05 

$22.40 

$2275 

More  to  say?  Just  keep  writing  on  a  separate  sheet  of  paper,  at  a  cost  of  35c  per  word. 
Business  ads:  70c  per  word. 

□  Costofad$ timesnumber ofruns  $ 

HEADINGS 

□  BOLD  ($5.00  times  number ofruns)  $ 

D  STANDOUT($10.00times number ofruns)  $ 

□  GRABBER($15.00timesnumber_        ofruns)  $ 

Total  cost  of  ad  before  discounts  $ 

DISCOUNTS 

□  Two  runs.  Deduct  15% 

□  Three  or  four  runs.  Deduct  20% 

□  Five  to  nine  runs.  Deduct  25% 

□  Ten  runs.  Deduct  30% 


D  lama  subscriber.  I  can  deduct  $1.00. 

DRAWER  SERVICE 

D  Please  assign  number  and  forward  replies. 
I  enclose  $4.00  per  ad  per  issue. 

SUBSCRIBE! 

D  I  want  to  subscribe. 

(Add  subscription  cost  to  subtotal.) 


$ 

-$ 
-$ 
-$ 
-$ 
Subtotal  $ 


1.00 


Subtotal  $ 

Canada  $ 

International     $ 
Total  enclosed  $ 

DEADLINE  FOR  THE  SEPTEMBER  ISSUE:  5  PM,  FRIDAY.  AUGUST  10 


15.95 


17.95 


Cheque/money  order  enclosed 
Charge  my       Visa       Mastercharge 

Card  number 

Expiry  date 

Clip  this  form  and  mail  it  with  payment  to:  TBP  CLASSIFIEDS.  Box  7289.  Station  A, 
Toronto,  ON  M5W 1X9.  dfu 


Name 
Address 

City 

Province 


Code 


THL  BODY  POLITIC  D  JULY/ AH. I  SI   19S4       45 


THE  HITCH-N-POST 

529  Yonge  Street 

is 

NOW  OPEN! 

Fulh  Licensed 


Come  out  and  party  with  us 

and  see  Yonge  Street . . . 

and  they  can't  see  you! 

Check  out  our  "Happy  Hour"  prices! 

TORONTO 

925-9998 


Canada's  oldest  penpal  club 
for  gay  men. 

GAV 

Devlin  Electrolysis 

Permanent  Hair  Removal 

Facial  —  Body 

fftATEJ 

Private  &  Confidential 

Members  across  Canada 
and  the  U.S. 

Mike  Laking  (res.)  925-0087 
Toronto 

P.O.  Box  3043b,  Saskatoon 
Sask  S7K  3S9 

montgomeny 
Leathers 


Box  161,  Agincourt 

(Toronto),  Ontario,  Canada 

M1S3B6 


Visa,  Chargex  or 

Mastercharge 

accepted 

Catalogue  3  now  available! 

Illustrated  32  page 

catalogue 

$5.00  +  90«  postage 

and  handling 

ASK  FOR  IT! 


Adults  only  —  must  be  legal  age. 


No.  649 
Leather-Look  Nylon 
Tank-Tops  &  Bikinis 


592  SHERBOURNE  921-3142 


<M1<D'S 


Toronto's  First 
Gay  Video  Bar 

592  Sherbourne  Street 
921-1035 


VANCOUVER,  VICTORIA,  Okanagan  area  slaves 
wanted.  You  must  be  docile,  submissive,  athletic, 
muscular  and  clean.  Master  visiting  areas  July/Aug. 
Send  recent  photo.  Drawer  E404. 

ALBERTA  ~~ 

28,  GWM,  just  coming  out  in  Fort  McMurray.  In- 
terested in  music,  camping  and  boating  seeks  friends 
21-35.  Drawer  E476. 

CALGARY  ~ 

GENEROUS  CALGARY  EXECUTIVE  43  interest- 
ed in  regular  meetings  with  intelligent  man.  Drawer 
E429. 

RECOMBINANT  DNA  is  one  of  my  interests.  (In 
fact  it's  my  job.)  I  am  a  29-year-old,  5' 10"  150  lb 
blond,  attractive,  out-of-the-closet  gay  man.  Inter- 
ests include  music,  computers,  touching,  enzymes, 
politics,  movies,  hiking,  intimacy.  I  am  looking  for  in- 
telligent, serious-minded,  happy  friends  20-35  in  Cal- 
gary. Scientific  background  appreciated  but  not 
essential.  Sense  of  humour  necessary.  Drawer  E410. 

GAY  WHITE  MALE,  PASSIVE,  40,  150  lbs,  5'6'\ 
would  like  to  meet  dominant  gay  males,  well-hung, 
very  active  in  greek,  bondage,  gang-bangs.  Only  let- 
ters with  photo  will  be  answered.  Calgary  area  only. 
Drawer  E466. 


EDMONTON 


GWM,  6'  1 "  165  lbs,  blue  eyes,  brown  hair,  young  36, 
fit,  moderately  hairy.  Clean-cut,  positive,  quiet,  af- 
fectionate. Computer  programmer,  own  townhouse. 
Nature  lover,  non-smoker.  Like  good  conversation, 
backpacking,  photography,  cycling,  science  fiction, 
folk  music.  Looking  for  committed  relationship  with 
non-macho  male.  Younger  unhairy  preferred,  not 
essential.  Your  clear  photo  gets  mine.  Everyone  ans- 
wered. Discretion  assured,  expected.  Bill,  Box  42, 
Sub-PO  11,  Edmonton  T6G  2E0. 


ORGY  WORKOUTS 
21  GWM  ARRANGES  GROUP  SEX  for  GWM's 
21-50,  married,  bi  or  straight.  Hot  raunch  scenes. 
Photo  and  sexual  preference  desirable.  Drawer  E381 . 

ATTRACTIVE  GWM,  university  student,  22,  seeks 
educated  male  for  possible  relationship.  20-30  pre- 
ferred, no  kinks.  Varied  interests,  social  activities, 
must  be  out  of  the  closet!  Send  particulars  and  phone 
number  to  Drawer  E447. 


ONTARIO 


CYCLING  &  SWIMMING  HOLIDAY 

1-2  WEEKS,  July/August.  Hairy  chested,  moustache 
guy,  36,  5' 10"  170  lbs,  seeks  companion  for  tour 
around  Ontario  lakes.  Must  be  well-built  and  physi- 
cally fit.  Drawer  E455. 

NORTHERN  ONTARIO       ~ 

THUNDER  BAY:  You  are  under  30,  straight  appear- 
ance, enjoy  the  occasional  night  out  for  supper, 
show,  lounge.  I  enjoy  conversation  with  knowledge- 
able younger  set  over  drinks  in  quiet  setting.  What 
comes  later  depends  upon  you,  but  you  will  not  be  dis- 
appointed. Write  soon.  Tell  me  about  yourself.  Photo 
appreciated.  Drawer  E463. 

WANTED,  military  17-30  bi  or  gay  130-165  lb 
masculine  Caucasian  for  185  lb  6  ft  tall  blond  military 
in  20s,  fit.  Angus  Baseborden  area.  Discretion  ab- 
solute. Box  873,  Barrie  ON  L4M  4Y4. 


TORONTO 


HANDSOME  BI  J  /O  STUD  seeks  action  with  other 
hot  men.  Am  29, 6'  165  lbs,  moustache.  Photo  a  must 
before  meeting!  Travel  frequently  —  can  accom- 
modate buddies.  If  you  want  the  best,  then  go  for  it! 
Drawer  E049. 

GWM,  35,  5'10"  175  lbs,  brown  hair,  reddish  body 
hair,  muscular  build,  masculine,  easy-going  country 
type,  very  horny,  well  hung.  Enjoy  quiet  times,  music, 
little  drink  and  smoke,  mutual  JO.  Seek  straight- 
looking  easy-going  younger  male  or  couples  for  good 
times,  have  country  home.  Let's  hear  from  guys  in 
central  and  eastern  Ontario.  Can  travel.  Photo  and 
phone  appreciated.  Hope  to  hear  from  you  soon. 
Drawer  E001. 

NUDE  PHOTOS  OF  YOURSELF? 

Head  shots,  nudes,  negatives  returned.  Phone  studio 
532-4380.  Inquiries  welcome,  inexpensive. 

LOOKING  FOR  well-hung,  active  black  guy  to  35 
years.  I  am  48, 5'  11 "  1 70  lbs,  generous  and  financially 
secure.  Drawer  E454. 

ATTRACTIVE  masculine  male,  27,  seeks  masculine 
attractive  male  under  25,  with  jeans  and  black  leather 
jacket  to  have  fun  and  jerk  me  off  slowly.  1  love  to, 
cuddle.  Photo  and  phone.  Drawer  E456. 

BM,  34,  6'2"  185  lbs,  wants  hung  married  G/active 
W/M  able  to  go  more  than  one  round.  22/40  wants 
just  satisfaction.  Drawer  E458. 

SLEEK,  SWIFT  and  spirited  runner  seeks  training 
partner  who  runs  a  mean  lOkms.  I'm29,6'2"  165  lbs, 
straight-acting,  health  conscious  and  full  of  life.  Let- 
ter and  phone  much  appreciated.  Drawer  E459. 

CHARMING,  MASCULINE  and  slim  Oriental 
male,  early  20s,  looking  for  masculine  or  hairy  guys, 
under  or  to  40,  to  share  good  things  in  life  together. 
Phone  and  photo  appreciated.  Drawer  E444. 

BLACK  MALE  WANTED 

TALL,  HANDSOME,  well-built  white  male  who  is 
shy,  sensitive  and  athletic  but  also  lonely  would  like  to 
meet  slim,  strong,  Greek  active  black  male  who  en- 
joys the  good  life.  I  travel  a  great  deal  by  myself  and 
need  a  sincere,  loving  companion.  Photo,  phone  with 
reply  appreciated.  Box  2647,  Stn  F,  Scarboro  ON 
M1W2TI. 

YOUNG  SLAVE  wants  well-to-do  men  with  equip- 
ment for  morning  sex.  Love  leather,  bondage  and 
more.  Rush.  Phone.  Drawer  E445. 


46  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


OBEDIENT,  submissive  male  forty,  warm  open 
mouth,  firm  yielding  buns,  eager  to  serve  any  bizarre 
instructions,  can  wear  stockings,  etc.  Seeks  men  over 
fifty  for  regular  daytime  sessions.  Discreet,  photo  ap- 
preciated. Drawer  E442. 

BISEXUAL  MAN,  45,  seeks  same  to  age  25.  Must  be 
intelligent,  well  built  and  interested  in  buddy  type  re- 
lationship. Prefer  muscles  to  pretty  face.  Drawer 
E443. 

HOT  AND  CLEAN  buns  would  like  to  please  you. 
Love  finger  play,  cock  fucking  and  hot  dogs.  Discre- 
tion expected.  Please  write  with  phone.  Drawer  E446. 

VERY  ATTRACTIVE  GWM,  28,  into  body-build- 
ing,  very  nice  body,  dark  hair,  blue  eyes,  5'9"  155  lbs, 
looking  for  under  30,  prefer  tall  blond  guy  with  good 
body  but  will  answer  all.  Like  dancing  and  sex.  Pic- 
ture, phone,  fast  replies.  Go  ahead,  I'm  horny. 
Drawer  E448. 

PROFESSIONAL  MALE  new  to  Toronto.  6'3"  210 
lbs,  losing,  30.  Not  into  bars  but  enjoys  life.  Take  a 
chance.  Photo,  phone.  Drawer  E449. 

I  AM  THE  "G"  IN  GREAT-GAY-GUY 

SPOTLESSLY  PRESENTED,  straight-looking,  ef- 
fervescent, likeable;  seeking  suitable  complement  to 
suntan  and  chum  around  with.  Well-behaved,  desert 
loving.  Paul  922-8484. 

AFFECTIONATE,  CARING  businessman,  36,  6', 
husky,  seeks  younger,  sincere  male  for  friendship  or 
relationship.  I  enjoy  music,  theatre,  films,  long 
walks,  quiet  dinners,  socializing  and  getting  to  know 
people.  Drawer  E43I. 

SPECIAL  BLACK  FRIEND  WANTED 

BLACK  INTELLIGENT  HORNY  male  sought  as 
buddy  by  GWM  early  50s  for  sincere,  honest  friend- 
ship/relationship. Mutual  affection,  caring.  Not  into 
beauty  contest.  Drawer  E425. 

BODYBUILDER  30,  5'11"  185  lbs,  A  16  1/2,  W32, 
seeks  same  for  muscle  love.  I'll  bring  the  baby  oil. 
Photo  appreciated.  Drawer  E421. 

TOPMAN  WANTS  a  slim  Toronto  Bottom 

With  buns  round  and  firm  —  preferably  tite 

Hey  shy  fellah  if  you  think  you  got  'em 

Do  I  have  a  pillow  you  oughta  bite 

I'm  denimed,  beefy,  relaxed  and  fun 

Mid-aged  and  masculine  I  can  cuddle  all  nite 

Both  firm  and  manly  my  loving  does  run 

A  drug  free  Bottom  is  a  Topman's  delite 

Drawer  E41 8. 

READY  FOR  CHANGE  from  habits  and  bar  condi- 
tioning. Haunted  by  passing  time,  life  cycles,  system 
cycles  and  reasons  why.  Believe  in  laughing  daily,  cry- 
ing occasionally,  and  pulling  own  strings.  I  value 
health,  honesty,  friendships,  security,  affection.  En- 
joy arts,  science,  fitness  and  physical  contact.  No  ex- 
tremes. No  addictions.  36,  5'  10"  145  lbs,  fair.  Just 
trying  to  meet  a  mature,  handsome,  compatible, 
quality  man!  Drawer  E414. 

PROFESSIONAL  MALE,  26,  5'6"  125  lbs,  Orien- 
tal, good-looking,  friendly,  enjoys  dining  out, 
theatre,  traveling,  working  out.  Would  like  to  meet  a 
compatible  man  for  friendship/relationship.  Photo 
and  phone  appreciated.  Drawer  E472. 

GREASED  HAIR  BEARDED  WRESTLER 
TOP,  37,  6'  170  lbs,  seeks  tough  young  punk  into 
serious  s/m.   Photo/phone  a  must.   No  hustlers. 
Drawer  E512. 

HORNY  GWM,  30,  5'6"  125  lbs,  36"  chest,  29" 
waist,  seeks  similarly  slim  men  for  hot,  sweaty 
daytime  sessions.  Phone,  photo  and/or 
measurements,  23  to  33.  Drawer  E488. 

SINCERE  MALE  SEEKS  OTHER  MALES 

ORIENTAL,  23,  new  to  gay  scene.  Looking  for  new 
friends  and  possible  relationship.  Send  phone  and 
photo  if  possible.  Drawer  E489. 

SUBMISSIVE  GWM,  handsome,  intelligent, 
masculine.  Seeks  handsome,  intelligent,  masculine 
leather/denim  master.  Strip,  shave  and  collar  me. 
Dominate  and  humiliate  me.  Am  not  a  transvestite 
but  find  feminine  lingerie  and /or  french  maid 
uniform  to  be  a  humiliating  turn-on.  Please  reply  with 
photo  and  phone.  Drawer  E490. 

GWM,  37,  5'9"  145  lbs,  professional.  Enjoys  hobby- 
farming,  cycling,  art,  travel,  restauranteering  and  one 
who  knows  the  value  of  following:  "To  experience 
the  full  joy  of  life,  you  must  find  someone  to  share  it 
with."  All  letters  answered.  Photo,  phone,  if  conven- 
ient. Drawer  E491. 

PASSIONATE,  eccentric,  serious,  introverted,  ex- 
istentialist, Nietszchean,  opera  fanatic,  seeks  similar 
GWM  for  meeting  of  bodies,  minds,  souls.  Drawer 
E492. 

GWM,  45,  professional,  5'10"  158  lbs.  Nipple  freak 
seeks  same  to  50  for  friendship  and  fun  —  married 
men  welcome,  discretion  assured.  Drawer  E493. 

YOUNG,  MASCULINE,  sincere  friend  to  age  25 
sought  by  38  year  old  guy  who  hates  bars  and  discos.  I 
love  travel  and  I'm  looking  for  a  buddy  to  knock 
around  Ontario  and  Quebec  on  summer  weekends. 
I'm  not  into  the  gay  scene  and  enjoy  quiet  evenings  at 
home.  Looks  unimportant.  I'm  not  prejudiced,  any 
nationality  welcome,  student  or  worker.  Photo  and 
phone  appreciated.  Drawer  E494. 

ATTRACTIVE,  HEALTHY  GWM 

33,6'  1 50  lbs,  brown  hair,  blue  eyes,  moustache,  seeks 
bright,  trim  well-hung  man  (who  is  immune  to 
hepatitis  and  into  quiet  times  and  wild  times)  for  a 
mutually  satisfying  emotional  and  sexual  relation- 
ship. Drawer  E498. 

GUY,  23,  GOOD  LOOKS.  5'9"  140  lbs,  oriental, 
seeks  you  if  you're  under  35  and  have  good  looks,  a 
good  heart  and  a  lit 1 1c  bit  upstairs.  I  like  poetry, 
history,  fashion,  slow  romance,  lingering  friendship 
and  picnicing  in  the  park  at  solstice  noon,  kissing  male 
beauties  icy  as  the  winter  moon.  Don't  be  shy 
(especially  about  your  looks).  Drawer  E499. 


ATTRACTIVE,  Bl  MALE,  32,  F/A,  G/P,  J/O, 
seeks  a  gentle  friend  who  can  entertain.  Age,  looks 
not  important.  Photoand  phone  appreciated.  Discre- 
tion assured.  Drawer  E495. 

REMEMBER  THOSE  HOT  SCENES,  we  had  as 
teenagers?  Ask  your  mom  if  you  can  stay  over  at  my 
place  some  night.  We'll  sneak  some  of  my  dad's  beer, 
strip  down  to  our  jockeys  and  see  if  we've  learned  any 
new  tricks  over  the  years.  Fantasy,  role-playing,  J/O 
and  more.  32,  6'  155  lbs,  clean,  healthy,  discreet. 
Drawer  E496. 

MALE,  48,  seeks  friend  30-70,  any  race,  for  friend- 
ship and  sensuous,  erotic  J/O  sessions  together. 
Please  write  with  phone  number.  Drawer  E497. 

NEW  TO  TORONTO,  26,  6'  150  lbs,  dark  brown 
hair,  brown  eyes,  trim  beard,  non-smoker.  Enjoys 
meeting  people.  Loves  travel.  My  interests  include 
arts,  theatre,  body-building,  cooking,  etc....  My 
weakness  is  Italian,  Greek,  and  Portuguese  men. 
Write  Box  6427,  Stn  A,  Toronto  M5W  1X3. 

CREWCUTS  WANTED!  Horny,  well-hung  young 
guy  likes  'em  short-haired  or  shaven.  Details  unim- 
portant. Adventurous  only  need  apply  with  picture 
and  phone.  Shave,  mister?  Drawer  E188. 

WELL.  I'm  an  art  student  and  I'm  tall  and  I'm  thin 
and  I'm  22  and  I  wear  glasses.  Sometimes  I  have  curly 
hair  and  sometimes  I  don't  and  sometimes  I  shave  and 
sometimes  I  don't.  I  stay  up  late  and  wander  the 
streets  looking  at  guys  and  sometimes  I  pick  them  up. 
Keep  a  nice  kid  off  the  streets.  Write  Drawer  E500. 

GAY  HARLEY  RIDER  SEEKS  SAME 

GWM,  6'  170  lbs,  37,  greasy  hair,  full  beard.  Send 
photo  and  phone  number.  Drawer  E5 1 1 . 

CONFIDENT,  sensible,  intelligent,  attractive  man 
with  sense  of  humour  and  strength  of  character  and 
maturity  —  seeks  same  21-29  years  of  age.  Not  into 
bars  or  baths.  No  one-nighters.  922-2996. 

PASSIONATE  KISSES  and  tender  embraces  are  of 
utmost  importance  in  love-making!  Agree? 
Masculine,  well-endowed,  young  man  seeks  you. 
Answer  all.  Drawer  E469. 

IS  THERE  ANOTHER  GUY  who  trains  at  Nautilus 
Plus  who  would  like  to  work  out  with  me  occasional- 
ly? I'm  23,  clean-cut  and  in  this  case,  absolutely 
discreet.  Drawer  E474. 

GWM,  40,  LOVE  TO  WEAR  GARTER  BELTS, 
panties,  baby  dolls,  etc.  Want  to  meet  a  man  who  can 
give  sweet  discipline.  If  you're  right  and  you  love  to 
spank  my  buns  or  other  favours,  send  letter  and 
phone  number.  Drawer  E475. 

WISH  TO  MEET  AND  KNOW  MALE  35-45, 
Niagara-Toronto  area.  You  are  extrovert,  your  own 
man,  dominant,  masculine,  warm,  considerate, 
bodybuilder,  enjoys  city/country  setting,  not  captive 
of  any  role.  Jeans  /leather.  From  you  as  role  model,  I, 
GWM  43,  wish  to  learn,  emulate,  develop  revised 
style  of  life.  Photo  appreciated.  Drawer  E503. 

BUSY,  PROFFESIONAL  MALE,  35,  5'3"  120  lbs, 
quiet,  gentle,  masculine,  but  with  a  wonderful  sense 
of  humour,  would  like  to  share  intimate  moments 
with  a  clean,  attractive,  French-speaking  counter- 
part. Interests  include  sex  (especially  69  and  Greek  ac- 
tive), fitness,  the  arts,  and  learning.  Am  not  interested 
in  bars  or  drugs.  Discretion  absolue.  Please  reply  with 
photo,  phone  and  letter  in  French.  Drawer  E504. 

GWM,  39,  145  lbs,  5'9",  out  of  town,  seeks  same  to 
visit  for  a  few  days,  on  occasion.  Regular  guy, 
masculine,  like  me,  sought  for  friendship.  Drawer 
ES08. 

HANDSOME  AIRLINE  CAPTAIN 

INTO  SHORTS,  DENIM,  jockstraps,  uniforms, 
5'  11"  165  lbs,  32  yrs.  Explore  my  shining  zipper 
before  taking  my  beautiful,  thick,  cock.  Phone, 
photo.  Drawer  E509. 

BOOTS  AND  LEATHER 

MARRIED  GWM,  5'11"  165  lbs,  50,  wants  friend- 
ship and  affection  with  married  or  single  gay,  turned 
on  by  boots  and  leather.  Toronto,  Mississauga, 
Halton  Hills.  Drawer  E510 

SUNTANNING  BUDDY  and  summer  friend  would 
be  great:  The  perfect  dream.  GQ  type  male  seeks 
same.  Box  921,  Stn  A,  Toronto. 

STINKING  PIG  TOP  IN  LEATHER 

WANTS  STINKING  PIG  BOTTOM.  37,  6'  170  lbs, 
beard.  Photo/phone.  Box  1114,  Stn.  F,  Toronto. 

LONELY  GAY  MALE,  40,  5'5"  130  lbs,  physically 
fit,  masculine,  affectionate,  active,  seeks  same  for 
lasting  relationship.  Drawer  E354. 

MALE,  LATE  50s,  seeks  experienced  and  active  male 
fishing  companion  for  weekday  get  togethers.  Send 
detailed  letter  (o  Steven,  PO  Box  2913,  Stn  F,  Scar- 
borough, Ml  W  2K0. 

GAY,  5'6"  128  lbs,  27  years  old,  brown  skin,  seeks 
other  gays  for  good,  clean  fun.  Interested  in  movies, 
concerts,  dancing,  listening  to  records.  Phone 
number,  letter.  Drawer  E482. 

FUN  LOVING 

GOM,  EARLY  30s,  professional,  interested  in  all 
quality  things  in  life,  specially  sincere,  honest,  secure 
persons.  Am  interested  to  meet  someone  who  would 
like  to  share  these  qualities  and  more.  Reply  with 
photos  and  phone  numbers.  Drawer  E483. 

GWM,  50s,  quiet  masculine  professional,  non-pro- 
miscuous, would  like  to  give  head  on  a  regular  basis  to 
a  very  well-hung  guy;  no  reciprocation.  Drawer  E040. 

PUNKS:  If  you're  young,  kinky,  into  ass  and  horny 
all  the  time,  I  want  to  meet  you.  I'm  6'  155  lbs,  37  and 
hot.  Punks  get  preference.  Drawer  E468. 

YOUNG-LOOKING  COUPLE,  early  30s,  seeks 

young,  non-smoking  friend  for  quiet  evenings.  Possi- 
ble weekend  camping  trips,  fishing,  walking,  BHQs, 
etc.  For  quick  reply,  send  short  introductory  letter 
with  photo  to:  P  O  Box  5228,  Postal  Station  A,  Tor- 
onto M5W  IN5. 


gay  . . .  got  a 
drinking  problem? 


(416)  964-3962 


OR  WRITE  BOX  "A"   730  BATHURST  STREET. 
TORONTO,  ONTARIO  M5S  2R4 


IHK  TOOLBOX 

AT  18  EASTERN  AVE.,  TORONTO 

869-9294 

Mon  Fri:  5  pm -  1  am  Sat:  Noon    1  am  Sun:  Noon  - 11  pm 

Thursday  is  Club  Night... 

Saturdays:  Free  pool  until  4  pm... 

Happy  Hour  daily:  Beer  $1.25... 

Dinner  every  night,  5-10  pm,  from  $2.50 

$3.95  Sunday  Brunch,  noon  -  3  pm 
where  real  men  do  eat  quiche! 

Where  the  men  come  to  play 


:N< 


Editor^ 


D.Sta 


rrrf°rd 


■  payment  DY  order  JVM 


1Z- 


P  R  I  APE 

le  sex-shop  gal     1661  est,  SteCatherlne,  Montreal.  Que.  H2L  2J5   521-6451 


THE  BODY  POLITIC  ["]  JULY/AUGUST  1984  □  47 


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48  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  D  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


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n  50 

A  Matter  of  Size 

Huge  no.  2 

Winner's  Circle  (new  listing) 

Leo  &  Lance  (new  listing) 

Malibu  Days,  Big  Bear  Nights 

Best  Little  Warehouse  in  L.A. 

For  Members  Only 

Games 

Al  Parker's  Turned  On 

.  Falcon  Videopac  no.  24  ("Style") 

.  The  Other  Side  of  Aspen 

Good  Times  Cumming  (Lance) 

Greenhorn  (Western) 

Seven  in  a  Barn  (J.  Brian) 
.  Huge  no.  1 

.  El  Paso  Wrecking  Corp.  (Joe  Gage) 
.  Nights  in  Black  Leather  (Peter  Berlin) 
.  Johnny  Harden  &  Friends  (new  listing) 
.  Tuesday  Morning  Workout  (J.  Brian) 
.  Printer's  Devils  (William  Higgins) 
.  The  Idol 

.  Wet  Shorts  (award) 
.  Pacific  Coast  Highway 
.  The  Boys  of  Venice 
.  The  Boys  of  San  Francisco 
.  These  Bases  Are  Loaded 
.  The  Diary  (Toby  Ross) 
.  Brothers  Should  Do  It 
.  All  Tied  Up  (Arch  Brown) 
.  Cell  Block  no.  9 
.  Jeff  Noll's  Buddies 
.  Centurians  of  Rome 
.  Kept  After  School  (Nova) 
.  Against  the  Rules 
.  Teenage  Handymen 
.  A  Night  at  Halsted's 
.  Cruisin'  The  Castro  (new  listing) 
.  New  York  City  Pro  (Leo  Ford) 
.  Rear  Deliveries 
.  The  Class  of  '84,  Part  2 
.  Revenge  of  the  Nighthawk 
.  The  Class  of  '84,  Part  1 
.  Hot  Shots  (Casey  Donovan) 
.  Pegasus 

.  Eyes  of  a  Stranger 
.  L.A.  Tool  &  Die  (Joe  Gage) 
.  Up  'n'  Cumming 
.  American  Cream  (Uniforms) 
.  Roommates  (Kip  Noll) 
.  Orgy  (Christopher  Rage)  (new  listing) 


TO  ORDER:  Send  this  list  with  the  order  form  and 

receive  a  75-page  illustrated  catalogue. 


PROFESSIONAL  GWM,  38,  190  lbs  6'4",  seeks 
young  man  over  21  for  hoi  times.  I  am  into  most 
things  and  love  spanking.  Discretion  assured  and  ex- 
pected. Drawer  E162. 

GWM,  25,  5'9",  slim,  professional,  straight-looking 
and  acting,  seeks  similar  guys  under  30  for  fun, 
friendship  and  ?  Photo  and  phone.  Drawer  E396. 

IS  IT  RIGHT  TO  LET  other  people  say  you  have  to 
be  2 1  years  old  to  have  fun?  Blond  male,  29, 5'  1 1 "  165 
lbs,  wishes  to  meet  younger  male  for  fun  and  hopeful- 
ly a  relationship.  I  want  someone  to  love  and  to  love 
me.  If  you  think  you  are  that  someone,  please  write. 
Try  to  add  phone  and  photo.  Discretion  on  my  side 
assured.  Drawer  E462. 

GAY  MALE  COUPLE 

GAY  MALE  COUPLE,  20s,  slim,  attractive,  mous- 
taches, one  with  beard,  well-hung,  masculine,  versa- 
tile, seek  similar  singles  or  couples,  21-35,  for  good 
times.  Photo  and  phone.  Drawer  E460. 

BIKE  LEATHER 

WM,  26,  5'  10"  1 50  lbs,  live  25  minutes  north  of  Tor- 
onto, music  new-wave,  punk,  clean-cut  (not  cock), 
self-employed,  non-smoking  toke  AOK,  sunbathing, 
car,  motorcycle,  jacket,  pants,  gloves,  boots,  helmet. 
Leather.  Sex  passively  aggressive.  I  want  the  same, 
friend.  Photos  and  number  cum  quick  time.  Drawer 
E464. 

A  QUIET,  STABLE,  YOUNGER  PERSON  to  30 
may  often  benefit  from  the  friendship  of  a  sincere 
older  man.  Media-Librarian.  Cool,  easy-going 
straight  appearance,  good-natured,  discreet,  mentor, 
balanced,  43.  6',  nice-looking.  Interests:  Spectator 
sports,  Techno-Pop  to  Bach  and  Rock,  sociology, 
movies  the  994  kind,  Frisbee,  electronics,  auto  mech- 
anics, video  to  board  games,  denim,  plays,  pen-pals, 
dining,  countryside,  fireplaces,  conversations,  garage 
sales.  Not  into:  Beards,  dancing,  kinks,  drugs,  tubs, 
pubs,  clubs,  shrubs,  chubbies  and  dishonesty. 
Drawer  E465. 

GENTLE  MAN,  46,  200  lbs,  6',  intelligent,  honest, 
quiet,  likes  travel,  plays,  art,  music,  long  walks,  con- 
versation, affection.  Seeks  vibrant  thinking  partner 
with  interests  beyond  numbers  and  crotches  for  frien- 
ship,  not  one  night  stands.  Box  1056,  Stn  Q,  Toronto 
M4T  2P2. 

GAY  WHITE  PROFESSIONAL  MALE 

Age  30,  lives  downtown,  good  job,  stable,  seeks  same 
25-32.  Am  sincere,  somewhat  shy,  conservative,  good 
sense  of  humour.  Enjoy  most  sports,  bowling, 
movies,  quiet  times,  good  friends,  going  out 
weekends.  Only  clean,  down-to-earth  sincere  people 
who  believe  in  one  to  one  relationships  should  res- 
pond. Reply  with  telephone  number  and  phone  if 
available.  Drawer  E370. 

GWM,  35,  GOOD  LOOKING,  masculine  type, 
5*11"  160,  wants  to  service  hot,  masculine  guys.  Let 
me  suck  you  while  you  drive  around.  Let  eat  your  ass. 
Do  things  to  me.  Let's  go  to  unusual  locations.  Let's 
really  get  into  it.  Whatever  scene  you  want.  Drawer 
E484. 

HOT  TIMES  COMING! 

GWM,  BLOND,  MASCULINE,  38,  6'0"  170  lbs, 
seeks  fun  friend,  21-40.  Interests  include  talking, 
VCR,  cuddling,  toys,  fantasy,  and/or  stimulants. 
Curious?  Do  it!  Drawer  E485. 

VERSATILE,  GWM,  31,  5'8"  130  lbs.  Interest  in 
outdoors,  languages,  theatre,  travel,  and  cuddling. 
Seeks  same  to  spend  pleasant  times  together.  Send 
photo  if  possible.  Drawer  E486. 

CUDDLY  MALE,  NICE  SMILE,  weightlifter's 
build.  Various  spiritual,  cultural,  and  athletic  in- 
terests. Seeks  another  for  friendship  and/or  relation- 
ship. Drawer  E519. 

NICE  JEWISH  BOY  seeks  good-looking  leather/ 
preppie  WASP,  20s  to  30s,  for  adventurous  friend- 
ship. I'm  34, 5'8"  140  lbs  and  considered  to  be  in  good 
shape.  Imagination,  sense  of  humour,  intelligence 
and  an  interest  in  good  sex  a  necessity.  Detailed  letter 
and  photo  appreciated.  Drawer  E517. 

GAY  TRANSVESTITE  would  like  to  meet  same  and 
others  for  mutual  enjoyment.  Write:  Boxholder,  PO 
Box  1293,  Stn  A,  Toronto  ON  M5W  1G7. 

GWM,  21,  BROWN  SHORT  HAIR,  5'10"  160  lbs. 
clean-shaven,  sincere,  kind,  gentle.  Would  like  to 
meet  same.  PO  Box  5423,  Stn  A,  Toronto,  ON 
M5W  1N6. 

WELL-HUNG  TOP  wants  trim  arses,  hanging  balls, 
for  hard  workout.  Limits  respected.  Recent  facial 
photo  a  must.  Me:  slim,  trim,  40.  Drawer  E515. 

FUN-LOVING  SLIM  GWM,  36,  would  liketomeet  a 
slim  male  to  explore  the  possibility  of  building  a 
monogamous  love  relationship.  Must  enjoy  movies, 
videos,  music,  food,  making  love,  laughing, 
togetherness  and  old-fashioned  romance.  Write  me... 
Let's  love!  Drawer  E5I4. 

SOUTHERN  ONTARIO       ~ 

SLIM  KITCHENER  MALE  intogolfing  and  the  out- 
doors seeks  males  under  23  for  good  times.  Drawer 
ES07. 

GWM,  FORTIES,  masculine,  clean,  discreet,  no 
drugs,  no  S/M,  well-hung,  horny,  JO  fantasy  would 
like  to  meet  same,  big  cocks,  dominant.  Am  curious 
about  BD,  WS,  other.  Frank  letter,  all  answered.  Box 
178,  Slrcctsvillc  I.5M  IL0. 


WELL-ESTABLISHED  GWM 

45,  slim,  5*10"  133  lbs,  good-looking,  sincere,  eas) 
going,  varied  interests.  Waterloo  area  Seeks  amac 
inc.  slim,  younger  GWM,  18-25.  for  companionship, 
meaningful   relationship    Send   photo  if  possible, 

■ 

PASSING  BY  oi  Hvin|  here?  Resi  vacation:  at 
comodation   Bi|  deei  and  watct  park  and  orchard 
in-. u    Write  i  loyd,  13  Richmond  St,  <  haiharn  ON 

N7M  INf> 


CARING  GUY 

TALL.  ATTRACTIVE,  YOUNG  40s,  180  lbs,  mous- 
tache, searching  for  friendship,  and  if  lucky,  a  mon- 
ogamous, committed  relationship  with  a  clean,  car- 
ing, slim,  passive  guy.  I  am  decent,  creative,  talented, 
warm,  witty,  cuddly,  romantic,  fun-loving  and  like- 
able, with  varied  interests.  1  believe  in  lovemaking 
with  feeling,  enjoy  quiet  evenings  at  home,  entertain- 
ing friends,  drives  and  picnics,  flea-markets  plants 
and  life  in  general.  Box  241 1 ,  Stn  B,  Kitchener. 

I'M  INTO  the  new-wave  scene.  I  like  the  clothes  and 
the  music.  Seeking  males  under  25  for  a  good  time, 
Kitchener  area.  Drawer  E505. 

YOU  WEAR  LEATHER  pants/jocks,  slowly  I  peel 
them  off  with  my  mouth  and  then  take  care  of  what- 
ever pops  out  with  my  hot  moist  mouth.  I'm  looking 
for  male  students  in  college  or  university.  I'm  23, 5'8" 
and  a  160  lb  firm  body  from  working  out  in  the  local 
gym.  Drawer  E506 

MAN,  39,  SEEKS  OTHER  MAN  for  a  buddy- 
friendship  and  sharing.  25-42,  must  be  mature,  warm, 
fun,  caring,  intelligent  and  financially  independent. 
Sincere  replies  only.  Drawer  E518. 

OSHAWA  AREA 

I  WOULD  LIKE  TO  MEET  other  gays  for  a  summer 
of  sun  and  fun  and  whatever  else  develops.  Any  age, 
any  race,  any  size.  There  doesn't  seem  to  be  many  of 
us  in  the  East.  Let's  make  it  a  summer  together.  Box 
1 166,  Adelaide  PO,  Toronto,  ON  M5C  2K5. 

EASTERN  ONTARIO 

PETERBOROUGH  AND  AREA 

MALE  28,  straight  acting/appearing,  looking  for 
another  open,  honest,  discreet,  older  guy  to  explore 
intimacy,  closeness,  warmth.  Let's  talk  then  see  what 
happens.  Write  to  Occupant,  PO  Box  91,  Peterbor- 
ough, ON  K9J  6Y5. 


OTTAWA 


MUSCLES  TURN  ME  ON  OTTAWA  AREA 
GWM,  36,  WANTS  TO  worship  you.  W/S  possible. 
Write  with  photo.  All  answered .  I  can  travel.  Give  me 
my  orders  now.  Drawer  E471. 

MALE,  39,  PROFESSIONAL,  5',  brown  hair, 
brown  eyes.  Medium  build.  Wishes  to  meet  attrac- 
tive, younger  male.  No  moustaches.  Photo  a  must 
before  a  meeting.  Drop  me  a  line  to  PO  Box  2934,  Stn 
D,  Ottawa,  ON  KIP  5W9. 

YOUNG  STUDENT  OR  WORKER  wishing  good 
times,  discrete  relation  with  mature  person:  teacher, 
46,  wishes  to  meet  you  now.  Drawer  E267. 

DEEP-THROAT  EXPERT  seeks  challenging,  ap- 
preciative  partners,  gay  or  straight.  I  am  young,  at- 
tractive, and  tireless.  Reply:  Box  25,  Stn  A,  Ottawa 
ONK1N8V1. 

SPANKINGS.  Take  this  29  year-old,  paddle  his  hair- 
less bottom.  Ottawa,  Toronto  and  between.  Your 
place  only  please.  Drawer  E359. 

LEATHER  BOTTOM  WANTED 

VERSATILE,  sometimes  bottom,  sane,  49,  attrac- 
tive GWM  looking  for  masculine  bottom.  Age  unim- 
portant. Limits  respected.  Drawer  E477. 

CAMPING— OUTDOOR  SPORTS  COUPLE 

IN  OTTAWA  he's  25  1  am  36  GYM .  Love  to  camp  in 
woods  on  Grotch  Lake  Hwy  509  area.  Would  like  to 
meet  other  couples  for  good  times  together.  We  are 
new  to  Ottawa.  We  enjoy  a  somewhat  open  relation- 
ship, but  respect  all.  Plan  trip  in  July.  Drawer  E470. 

HANDSOME  GWM,  25,  dark  hair,  5'10"  145  lbs, 
good  physique,  non-smoker,  French.  Hope  to  meet 
mature,  sensitive,  understanding  man  around  my  age 
for  a  committed  relationship.  I  need  someone  who  is 
looking  for  more  in  life  than  one-night  stands  and 
who  is  willing  to  truly  give  of  himself  totally  to  the 
right  person.  Communication  is  very  important  for 
me.  My  interests  are  dancing,  photography,  swim- 
ming and  1  am  willing  to  try  most  anything  once.  Also 
would  like  to  have  penpals.  Sincerely,  Box  3234,  Stn 
D.Ottawa,  ON  K1P6H8. 


MONTREAL 


GWM,  29,  5'8"  150  lbs,  masculine,  friendly,  honest 
and  understanding,  seeking  male  18-30  of  same  type 
for  friendship  or  relationship.  Not  into  bar  scenes  or 
drugs.  Drawer  E145. 

PASSIONATE,  HORNY,  sexy,  healthy  37-year-old 
gay  male,  recovering  from  AIDS,  would  like  to  meet 
men  aged  30- SO  for  sex  and  friendship.  Drawer  I  4s" 

NEW  BRUNSWICK 


YOUTHFUL.  MASCULINE,  SUPER-ACTIVE 
outdoorsman,  trained  naturalist,  47.  5'  10"  150  lbs, 
w  ill  share  my  knowledge  of  wildflowcrs,  mushrooms, 
birds,  gardening,  camping,  backpacking,  health,  tru- 
ly erotic  loving  and  much  more  with  any  serious  guy. 
Drawer  E467. 

rMOVASCOTIA 


29-YEAR-OLD   MALE   between   Digby  and    i.ii 
mouth.  Not  into  heas  >  se\  hut  likes  male  companion 
for  good  clean  fun.  Cuddling  and  conversation  my 
specially.  Omsk  meeting  possible  Drawei  E260 

LITHE.  TANNED,  bearded  15,  Ctt  M  has  light  ass 
needing  Full  and  pan -time  servicing  Mso  like  to  meet 
JO  friends  toi  mutual  pleasures.  Hi  and  married  most 
welcome  Can  entertain  and  will  travel  to  ihc  right 
contacts.  Mammies  and  I  astern  Canada  US  Photo 
please  Discretion  assured,  all  answered  Drawer 
MSI 

DIGBY  COUNTY  NUDIST 

I'd  love  to  «.iik  around  naked  with  sou  i  am 
enjo)  showing  raj  bods  Would  you  show  me  yours? 
I'm  sincere,  kind,  intelligent,  and  no)  into  kini 

1  el's  dial  in  tht  nude  and  cnios  Ourselves  looking  at 
cash  Olliei    Diawct  I  4S~ 


THL  BODY  POLITIC  I  1  JULY/AUGUST  19N4       4V 


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50  □  THE  BODY  POLITIC  □  JULY /AUGUST  1984 


THE  BACK  PAGE 


EDNA  BARKER: 


I    bought  my  first  ever  gay  paper  in 
the  middle  of  a  blizzard,  in  1977. 1 
was  working  in  an  office  at  the 
time,  and  (except  for  agonizing 
crushes  on  three  of  my  female  co- 
workers) was  living  a  completely  hetero- 
sexual life.  All  my  friends  were  straight 
(they  were  all  women,  too,  which  should 
have  told  me  something).  I  owned  a 
dress.  I  had  a  "boyfriend,"  who  lived 
across  the  hall.  I  sat  around  at  lunch  and 
listened  to  the  women  from  the  office 
discuss  men.  They  all  (at  lunchtime,  any- 
way) had  their  problems  with  men  — 
hated  them,  would  never  sleep  with  them 
again.  I  fit  right  in. 

But  something  was  missing.  Part  ol  the 
problem  was  my  conviction  that  all  men 
were  from  Mars,  which,  while  it  gained 
me  attention  at  luncheon  conversations, 
did  not  sit  well  with  the  fellow  across  the 
hall,  who  finally  gave  up  on  me  and 
moved  to  British  Columbia.  Suddenly  I 
was  without  status  at  the  office,  shunned 
at  lunchtime,  no  longer  part  of  the  group. 
The  idea  of  locating  another  Martian  and 
trying  to  fool  everyone  into  believing  I 
believed  in  such  a  relationship  over- 
whelmed me;  I  couldn't  go  through  with 
it.  A  sex-change  operation?  I  didn't  like 
men,  couldn't  relate  to  them,  so  why 
would  I  want  to  be  one?  I  didn't  know 
what  to  do. 

• 
In  the  end  it  was  my  friend  Miss  V  who 
helped  me  out.  Miss  V  lived  around  the 
corner  from  me,  had  for  years,  and 
probably  suspected  that  at  least  a  few  of 
our  "chance"  encounters  on  the  street 
had  been  engineered.  She  had  long  ago 
made  her  own  orientation  clear.  One  of 
her  two  roommates  in  college  had  spent  a 
weekend  in  New  York  and  returned  with 
news  of  all  the  latest  fashions,  one  of 
which  was  lesbianism.  The  three  of  them 
had  adopted  the  straight-legged  jeans 
and  the  plastic  shoes  but  had  collapsed 
into  helpless  giggles  in  their  attempts  to 
be  sexually  fashionable.  (Essentially  my 
response  to  Martians;  I  could  sympa- 
thize.) However,  Miss  V  had  enthusias- 
tically continued  to  monitor  fashions 
over  the  years,  and  was  willing  to  share 
her  information;  I,  in  turn,  was  welcome 
to  report  discoveries  to  her.  One  of  the 
first  things  she  told  me  about  was  a 
magazine  —  a  local  magazine,  no  less  — 
called  The  Body  Politic. 

And  so  my  course  was  clear:  1  would 
do  whatever  I  had  to  do  in  order  to  be- 
come a  "gay  person,"  and  I  would  tell 
Miss  V  all  about  it.  It  was  obvious  to  mc 
even  then  that  the  appeal  for  me  in  all  of 
this  was  telling  Miss  V  all  about  it.  The 
rest  would  have  to  be  got  through  some- 
how, if  only  so  that  I  would  have  some- 
thing to  report.  I  would  start  by  obtain- 


HyiAM 


NOT 


A  FAGGOT 


ing  a  copy  of  that  magazine  —  an  easy 
task,  I  thought.  I  would  worry  about  the 
next  step  later. 

• 
It  took  me  three  weeks  to  buy  that  first 
issue,  and  I  wasn't  exactly  sure  what  to 
do  with  it  after  I  got  it  home.  I  stared  at 
the  zucchini  on  the  cover  for  a  while, 
then  glanced  at  the  classified-ad  section. 
What  was "GWM"?  What  was "FA/GP"? 
Would  I  ever  know  enough  to  be  a  gay 


person?  I  decided  I  didn't  want  to  know 
what  the  people  who  wrote  this  strange 
magazine  wanted  me  to  do  with  the  zuc- 
chini, but  I  found  the  list  of  places  to  call 
for  help,  and  copied  out  two  numbers. 
One  only  worked  on  Tuesday  nights,  but 
if  I  called  a  woman  would  answer.  I 
waited  till  Tuesday  and  started  dialing.  I 
got  a  busy  signal  for  hours.  I  waited  a 
week  and  tried  again:  busy.  I  called  the 
other  number,  Toronto  Area  Gays. 

The  man  who  answered  the  TAG  tele- 
phone was  incredible.  In  my  terror  at  ac- 
tually speaking  to  a  real  live  gay  person, 
I  was  rendered  totally  inarticulate.  My 
telephone  friend  coaxed,  cajoled  and 
counseled  me  as  though  I  were  a  timid 
teenager,  which  was  exactly  what  I  need- 
ed. It  turned  out  he  thought  I  was  a  teen- 
ager, since  he  had  assumed  I  was  male 
but  my  voice  was  not  that  of  a  grown-up 
man.  Women,  he  explained  to  me, 
didn't  often  call  the  line,  and  because 
they  mostly  got  calls  from  men,  the 
group  was  mostly  set  up  for  men.  But  I 
was  welcome  to  come  to 


a  meeting,  he  said;  the  group  would  like  it 
if  women  would  come. 

I  arrived  a  half-hour  late;  the  meeting 
had  already  started.  I  found  a  seat  in  a 
corner.  After  about  fifteen  minutes  I 
found  the  courage  to  look  around  the 
room.  Eighteen  other  people,  and,  as  my 
telephone  friend  had  warned  me,  they 
were  all  men.  After  a  while  I  became 
aware  that  I  was  receiving  more  than 
casual  glances  from  some  of  the  men  in 
the  room.  They  were  looking  at  me. 
Some  of  them  were  staring  at  me. 

I  was  working  out  my  escape  route 
when  one  of  the  men  chairing  the  meet- 
ing said  introductions  should  be  re- 
peated because  so  many  people  had 
arrived  late.  We  would  go  around  the 
room,  he  said,  and  give  our  names  and 
some  information  about  ourselves  — 
why  we  were  at  the  meeting,  where  we 
worked,  whatever.  When  it  was  my  turn 
I  could  feel  eighteen  pairs  of  eyes 
directed  at  me.  I  cleared  my  throat. 
"My  name  is  Edna,"  I  said,  "and  I'm  a 
girl.  There  was  a  collective  sigh  of 
disappointment. 

Although  I  has  masquerad- 
ed as  a  straight  person  for 
years,  I  had  never  quite  mas- 
tered the  trick  of  adopting 
—  or  even  predicting  — 
those  emotions  or  responses 
straight  women  were  likely  to 
come  up  with.  I  was  eager  to  tell 
Miss  V  about  the  meeting,  about  walk- 
ing around  the  block  for  half  an  hour, 
afraid  to  go  in,  about  what  everyone  had 
said.  But  I  never  got  that  far  with  the 
story.  "You  were  the  only  woman  in  a 
room  with  eighteen  men?"  she  asked, 
and  I  heard  envy  in  her  voice.  "Eighteen 
men?  And  you  went  home  alone?" 


I  know  I  felt  overwhelming  fear,  that 
year,  of  what  I  was  trying  to  do.  I  re- 
member the  first  time  I  tried  to  say  "I 
am  a  lesbian."  I  couldn't  manage  it  even 
if  I  was  the  only  person  in  the  room.  It's 
easier  now  —  I've  had  lots  of  practice  — 
and  I  hardly  ever  stammer  and  mumble 
and  blush.  But  I  am  starting  to  be  con- 
cerned about  the  words  people  use  to 
describe  me.  Eight  years  ago,  had  some- 
one called  me  a  faggot,  I  likely  would 
have  prayed  for  the  earth  to  swallow  me 
up.  Not  these  days.  A  few  weeks  ago  a 
straight  man  confronted  me  at  a  street- 
car stop. 

"Faggot,"  he  said,  spitting  at  my  feet. 

'•What?" 

"Fuckin*  faggot,"  he  jeered,  spitting 
again. 

"I'm  not  a  faggot,  you  jerk."'  I 
shouted.  "I'm  not  a  faggot,  I'm  a 
dyke!"D 


POLITIC  [  i  JULY/AUGUST  1984  D  51 


DECISION  S*D  E  C  I  S  I  0  N  S 


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